Vestavia Hills Magazine

JOAN CURTIS’ ABSTRACT STYLES • VHHS ALUMNI-TURNED-TEACHERS • GEORGE RITCHEY IN THE WILD

ALABAMA WHITEWATER THE JOURNEY TO THE OLYMPICS OF KAYAKING

VESTAVIA TEMPLE

SPECTACLE, LEGEND, NAMESAKE

IRON CITY

CHEF

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com Volume One | Issue Two $4.95

MEET SATTERFIELD’S TRIPP MAULDIN VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 1

Proudly serving the area since 1983!

Shelby County’s ONLY Ford Dealer!

2016

Ernest McCarty Ford, Inc. 1471 1st St. N • Alabaster www.ernestmccarty.com

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FEATURES 50

FREESTYLE FLIPPIN’ Twenty-year-old Bennett Smith is heading to the Olympics of kayaking in Argentina, but his journey started at home in Vestavia Hills.

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ROMAN REVIVAL Vestal virgins dancing in white tunics. Servants dressed like Roman legionaries. Legendary parties for hundreds. This was George Ward’s Vestavia Temple—and you can still see relics of it today.

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INTO THE WILD

PHOTO BY GEORGE RITCHEY

What’s it like to capture lions and tigers and puffins (oh my!) on camera? George Ritchey can tell you.

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PHOTO BY GEORGE RITCHEY

ARTS & CULTURE

17 Figures & Form: Artist Joan Curtis’ Abstract Style 23 Five Questions For: Birmingham Dance Theatre 24 Read This Book: Books for Middle Schoolers

SCHOOLS & SPORTS

25 No Place Like Home: VHHS Alumni-Turned-Teachers 32 Five Questions For: Tait Stoddard of VH City Schools Foundation

FOOD

& DRINK

33 Local Bounty: Satterfield’s Chef Tripp Mauldin

IN EVERY ISSUE 6 Contributors 7 From the Editor 8 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 9 #VestaviaHillsMag 10 The Question 11 The Guide 72 Out & About 85 Marketplace 88 My Vestavia Hills

38 Recipe: Roasted Duck with Sweet Potato Purée 39 Cocktail: Coy’s Sangria from The Ridge 40 Five Questions For: The Bajalieh Brothers of Slice Pizza

HOME

& STYLE

41 Home Again: A Bright and White Main Floor Renovation 48 In Style: Olive Green—The Color to Fall in Love with This Season

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contributors EDITORIAL

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

Kayley Coggins, Stylist

Kayley Coggins is a wardrobe consultant and stylist who believes that fashion is a tool to help you feel beautiful in every season. By using what is already have in your closet and finding pieces to complete the wardrobe for year-round ease and fun, Kayley helps create a sense of style that is unique, budget friendly and empowering. You can reach her at kayleycoggins@gmail.com.

CONTRIBUTORS Angie Brown Rebecca Caine Kayley Coggins Kristin Entler Mary Fehr Jennifer Jones Emma Simmons Lauren Ustad

Kristin Entler, Writer

Kristin is a writer and student living in Vestavia Hills. She’s currently attending UAB for a degree in English and psychology and is working on an undergraduate honor’s thesis in poetry. When she isn’t involved with classes, homework or freelancing, she can probably be found crafting or binge watching Friends on Netflix.

DESIGN

Connor Bucy Jamie Dawkins Kate Sullivan

MARKETING

Ann Aycock Kristy Brown Kari George Rachel Henderson Daniel Holmes Katie Krouse Rhett McCreight Kim McCulla Ashley Murphy Viridiana Romero April Spivey Bayleigh Thompson Kerrie Thompson

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

Lauren Ustad, Photographer Lauren lives in Birmingham with her husband, Joe, their two daughters Pepper and Joie, and their 2-pound Yorkie they refer to as “Boobie.” She spends her professional time posing itty bitties and chasing little munchkins, and as a result having baby fever (number 3 is on the way!).

In her free time you can probably find her working on their most current renovation project or building Legos with her self-proclaimed superheroes.

Mary Fehr, Photographer

Mary is a wedding and portrait photographer based out of Birmingham.

A Vestavia native and VHHS graduate, she studied art and art history at University of Montevallo. She likes to teach and plans on getting her MFA in order to do so. Mary also loves to travel and has a goal of photographing a wedding in every state! She enjoys reading non-fiction, going to concerts and spending time with her family.

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

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

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

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FroM tHE EDitor

Y

ON THE COVER

Satterfield’s Chef Tripp Mauldin He’s worked in kitchens in Napa, San Francisco and Orange County. Now see what this Alabama native is up to in Cahaba Heights.

Photo by Mary Fehr Design by Kate Sullivan

Y’all, the longer I live and work around here, the more fascinated I am by the ways everyone connects to pretty much everyone. For one, this issue got its start when freelancer Angie Brown realized that Satterfield’s new chef just so happened to be her husband’s fraternity brother, and we sent her out for an interview and one of our amazing photographers out to shoot him and their culinary team. (Side note: Our editorial team is in love with the dark composition of this shot with pots on top—but we’d also like to note that Tripp has a nice friendly smile too.)

And then there’s the chain that brought you this issue’s feature well. Sara Wuska, Vestavia Hills’ first and only female mayor, was kind enough to talk me through much of the city’s history in her living room one Friday afternoon, which got me on the phone with Frances Poor asking questions about George Ward and the Vestavia Temple. From there I found my way to Vestavia Hills Baptist Church, where Dennis Anderson showed me the relics left of the temple, connected me with resources in their church archives, and invited me to learn more about the property’s history at the first Leadership Vestavia Hills session of the year (shout out to the LVH class for letting me crash their lunch party!). It was there that Dennis introduced me to Merryl Cooper, who happens to volunteer with a community cause we are writing about for a future issue and was able to tell me more about it (at which point Merryl and I connected that we’d gone to the same small college in Memphis where I’d also met Laura Ann Daly, who is featured in our My Vestavia Hills column— are we feeling how small the world is?). Dennis also introduced me to photographer George Ritchey, who’d worked on the VHBC’s stellar 60th anniversary book, and as he and I were chatting at the Library in the Forest about the Shades Valley Camera Club, it quickly became apparent that George and his wildlife shots were a story in itself.

Anyway, I won’t drag you down all my reporting rabbit trails (yes, there are more), but I will say in the world of Irma and Harvey, destruction and scandal, there’s something especially comforting about flipping through the pages that lie ahead. Of seeing the abstract beauty your neighbor paints on canvas and the sweet (and often ’70s-, ’80s- or ’90s-stylish) school photos of some the teachers you know and love. Of getting to know the faces behind the news of a new chef coming or a pizzeria opening in your neck of the woods in the next-best way to an actual in-person conversation (although perhaps the articles will encourage those too). Of photos that take you on a safari, down river rapids and back in time to Roman-themed parties on a familiar hill.

And the best part is this issue isn’t just glossy pages, it’s just a reminder of the gift of community we find in carpool lines and grocery aisles, at 5Ks and holiday markets, and right next door.

Want to send me and our writers down more rabbit holes or tell us more small world connections? We love ideas, so send them my way!

madoline.markham@vestaviahillsmagazine.com VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 9

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ONLINE EXCLUSIVE PHOTO BY ELIZABETH NANCE

5 Events Not to Miss in VH This Month

From 5Ks to festivals to football, fall is far from quiet around here. Find our monthly guide to what to do for fun without traveling far online any time you like. vestaviahillsmagazine.com/category/events/

facebook.com/vestaviahillsmagazine

@vestaviahillsmag

@vestaviamag

So happy to see Kendall Callaway Boggs on the cover! Her art is amazing!

-Kim Chase Alexander

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#VestaviaHillsMag

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

@firefighterarcher

Training with the drone before the storms rolled in. #FIRE #DJI #Inspire1 #djiinspire #intheair #rescue #spottedfromabove #nogopro. #VHFD #vestaviahills #aerialops

@pizitz6thteam1

“The real superheroes live in the ❤s of small children fighting big battles.” #withwill #samstrong #team1alums

@vhillshoops

Quick team lake trip before school starts.

Missing a few guys, but had a great time!

@objectivityrach

Sibyl Temple enjoying a skylight. #vestaviahills #vestaviahillsal #teamcanon #instasky #optoutside #alifeabove #sunset #sibyltemple

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“ ” THE QUESTION

If you (hypothetically) could only eat one more meal in Vestavia Hills, what would it be?

The Ridge. Start with fried pimento cheese and fried pickles. Patty melt, add bacon with hand cut fries, followed by fried cookie dough balls with vanilla ice cream.

- Debbie Moore Hays

Coconut soup and spicy beef salad at Masaman Thai.

- Abby Brady

Sheila’s Diner with squash casserole, fried okra, lady peas, fried corn, sliced tomatoes, all from Andy’s Market, served with a piping hot slice of cornbread!

- Sheila Williams Bendall

Kool Korner—Cuban sandwich (all the way) with black bean soup.

- Philemon Croft

Anything from Pappas’... oh, that chargrilled chick salad, their cheeseburger, their kabobs...yummm.

Fig tree! The venison burger is perfect. They have their own farm where they raise their own animals and vegetables. It’s so fresh and so good.

-Amelia Foreman Chambers

I’m going with the Reuben and gumbo at the Diplomat.

A giant tub of chicken salad from Iz Café—no salad or fruit, just that big tall tub with a pack of crackers!! Yummy!

- Tealla Stewart

- Dick Brodenhamer

- Heather Sanders Rhoades

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THE GUIDE

CHANGE AGENTS IN ACTION KultureCity is making waves to change the worlds of children with autism and sensory special needs, and now the iron man atop Red Mountain has taken note. The nonprofit’s cofounders Drs. Julian Maha and Michele Kong will receive the Newcomer award as part of The Vulcans Community Awards on Nov. 4. We hear the awards are given for civic pride (check), leadership (check) and progress within (check)—nice choice, Vulcan.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KULTURECITY

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THE GUIDE WHAT TO DO IN VESTAVIA

REBELS VARSITY FOOTBALL Here’s to hoping the Rebels have some playoff games scheduled come November. Don your red and blue, and we’ll see you at Thompson Reynolds Stadium. All games start at 7 p.m.

OCT. 6: vs. Thompson OCT. 13: at Mountain Brook OCT. 20: vs. Hoover NOV. 3: vs. Shades Valley

OCT. 6 First Friday Fiber Arts (Adults) Library in the Forest 10 a.m.

OCT. 6 Artist Incorporated First Friday Reception 4:30-8:30 p.m.

OCT. 9 Columbus Day Vestavia City Schools Closed OCT. 9 Senior Citizen Luncheon Dogwood Room Vestavia Hills Civic Center 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

OCT. 10 Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Mayor Ashley Curry’s State of the City Vestavia Country Club 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

OCT. 12 8 Chamber Speed Networking Event Marriott- Highway 280 8:30-10:30 a.m.

OCT. 13-14 Fall Theatre Production Vestavia Hills High School

OCT. 28

LIBRARY IN THE FOREST STORYBOOK 5K Vestavia Hills City Hall 8 a.m. 5K, 9 a.m. Fun Run Dress as your favorite storybook character and get ready for a run and fun, or sleep in and still get a T-shirt and swag bag. After-race festivities will feature live music, a bouncy house, appearances by storybook characters and performers from Birmingham Ballet’s upcoming The Nutcracker and Peter Pan ballets, crafts, and face painting by Pinky Fancy Faces. It all benefits the Children’s Department of the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest and is hosted by the Junior Board of the Vestavia Hills Library Foundation. Register at runsignup.com and find more info at librarypals.org.

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OCT. 17 Intro to Arduino (Teens) Library in the Forest Call 978-3683 to register.

4:30 p.m.

OCT. 17 Family Night with Drummer Mark Seymour Library in the Forest 6 p.m.

OCT. 26 Friends of the Library Hosts The Alabama School of Fine Arts Library in the Forest 10 a.m.

THE GUIDE OCT. 27 Spooktacular Spooky stories, crafts, costume contest for kids Library in the Forest 6:30 p.m.

OCT. 28+NOV. 25 Lego Wars First Grade and Up Library in the Forest 11 a.m.

OCT. 31 Teen Scary Movie Night Library in the Forest 4 p.m. Community Room.

OCT. 3

COMMUNITY NIGHT OUT Vestavia Hills City Hall 5:30-8 p.m.

Join the Vestavia Hills Police and Fire departments for a night of fun and demonstrations. Kids can enjoy inflatables and a fire fighter obstacle course, and there will be live music, free food and a rock wall.

NOV. 3 First Friday Fiber Arts (Adults) Library in the Forest 10 a.m.

OCT. 14

HEIGHTS HERO 5K 3162 Heights Village 8 a.m. 5K, 9:30 a.m. Fun Run

NOV. 3 Artist Incorporated First Friday Reception 4:30-8:30 p.m.

Run through the neighborhood streets of Cahaba Heights while benefitting the Vestavia Elementary Cahaba Heights PTO. Registration is $30 for the 5K and $15 for the Fun Run. Stick around for festivities afterward.

NOV. 3 Homecoming Vestavia Hills High School NOV. 7 The Escape Room (Teens) Library in the Forest 4 p.m.

NOV. 10 Veterans Day Vestavia City Schools Closed NOV. 14 Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Vestavia Country Club 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

NOV. 18 Author Charles Ghigna and Friends For Ages 3-9 Library in the Forest 10:30 a.m.

NOV. 22-24 Thanksgiving Holidays Vestavia City Schools Closed

OCT. 26

VIVA VESTAVIA HILLS Hollywood Pools 1441 Montgomery Highway 6:30-9 p.m.

Get a taste of area restaurants’ finest and try fine wines— all with a “scary” theme. The event is presented by the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce and benefits the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Tickets go on sale Oct. 1.

For more information, call the chamber at 8235011.

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THE GUIDE AROUND TOWN NOV. 9

CAHABA HEIGHTS OPEN HOUSE Get a head start on holiday shopping when businesses stay open late throughout Cahaba Heights. A shuttle service will make for easy transport between shops in the area.

OCT. 1 Peppa Pig Live!

The Alabama Theatre 5 p.m.

OCT. 1 Cahaba River Fry-Down Benefits Cahaba River Society Railroad Park 12-4 p.m.

OCT. 4 The Head and The Heart The Alabama Theatre 8 p.m.

OCT. 6-8 Barber Vintage Motorcycle Festival Barber Motorsports Festival OCT. 6-8 Antiques at the Gardens Birmingham Botanical Gardens Friday & Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

OCT. 18-29

SHOP SAVE & SHARE Shops Throughout Vestavia Hills and Birmingham We’re all about an excuse to shop for a good cause, and you can’t beat the Junior League of Birmingham’s Shop Save & Share fundraiser. A digital or printed Shop Save & Share card costs $40, and then you receive a 20 percent discount at more than 500 participating businesses—including 57 in Vestavia Hills alone.

Time to get ahead on holiday shopping, y’all!

Plus, funds raised go to 36 community projects.

The fundraiser has put more than $550,000 back into the community over the past 11 years.

Shoppers can purchase and download a Shop Save & Share card at ShopSaveandShare.net, by texting “SSS” to 205-660-0030 or on the Planet Fundraiser app.

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OCT. 7 Bluff Park Art Show Bluff Park Community Center 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

OCT. 7 Susan G. Komen North Central Alabama Race for the Cure Regions Field 9 a.m.

OCT. 12 Spanish Harlem Orchestra Engel Plaza, UAB Free 6 p.m.

OCT. 15 Shopkins Live!

The Alabama Theatre 1 p.m.

OCT. 18-29 Shop Save Share Benefitting Junior League of Birmingham Community Projects OCT. 21-22 Fall Plant Sale Birmingham Botanical Gardens

THE GUIDE

Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sunday noon - 4 p.m.

OCT. 28 Howls & Growls Hosted by Greater Birmingham Humane Society Young Professionals Board Old Car Heaven NOV. 2 Dia de los Muertos Pepper Place 4-10 p..m NOV. 3-12 The Taming of the Shrew Virginia Samford Theatre NOV. 4-5 Moss Rock Festival Moss Rock Preserve, Hoover Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

NOV. 5 Emmylou Harris Alys Stephens Center 7 p.m.

NOV. 10 Dionne Warwick Alys Stephens Center 8 p.m.

NOV. 11 National Veterans Day Parade Downtown Birmingham 1:30 p.m.

NOV. 15-18 Market Noel Presented by the Junior League of Birmingham The Finley Center Hoover Metropolitan Complex NOV. 16-19 STARS: A Charlie Brown Christmas Virginia Samford Theatre NOV. 18-19 Dolores Hydock Silence: The Adventure of a Medieval Warrior Woman Red Mountain Theatre Company Cabaret Theatre

HOLIDAY MARKETS Already dreading what to buy that impossible-to-buy-for special someone in your life?

Not to fear. Stop by one of these markets full of hand-crafted items, and have it ready to wrap before Thanksgiving hits.

MAGICAL MARKETPLACE Friday, Nov. 17 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church Arts and crafts, clothes, candles and scents, housewares, wooden items, toys, jewelry, hand-made items and more—all to benefit Unless U.

HOLIDAY MARKET Saturday, Nov. 11 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Saint Mark United Methodist Church Supporting church missions and charities with the sale of handmade items

NOV. 28

HOLIDAY IN THE HILLS TREE LIGHTING FESTIVAL Vestavia Hills City Hall 1032 Montgomery Highway 6 p.m.

Ring in the season with this annual celebration of holiday lights. We hear Santa will be there, too, along with entertainment and merchant give-aways.

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THE GUIDE VHHS

SCHOOLS

AND THE SEMIFINALISTS ARE

GOODBYES AND HELLOS

The National Merit semifinalist list came in 12 strong at Vestavia Hills High School. Each was chosen from some 1.6 million juniors who took the Preliminary SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Congrats to Macy McClurg, Yihan Zhong, Ginger Llivina, Sarah Zhao, Sidhvi Reddy, Chandler Clemmons, Nicolas Aldana (front row); and Richard Fu, Nelson Mills, Robert Smith, Joshua Gray, Jacob Reiber (back row).

After six years of service to kids in our school system, Vestavia Hills City Schools Superintendent Dr. Sheila Phillips retired Sept. 1. The Board of Education is searching for the next superintendent, and Vestavia Hills resident Dr. Charles Mason is serving in the position in the interim. Mason is a good one for the job, too—he was superintendent of Mountain Brook Schools for 16 years and has two grandkids who are Vestavia students.

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

Peanut and Tree Nut Oral Immunotherapy Now Available We are proud to now offer oral immunotherapy for both peanuts and tree nuts to children and adults through our Food Allergy Treatment Center. Oral immunotherapy (OIT), or oral desensitization, is a treatment that retrains the immune system to tolerate a food allergen. Treatment involves eating small, gradually increasing doses of peanuts or tree nuts each day under the careful supervision of our board certified allergist, Dr. Carolyn Comer.

Food Allergy Treatment Center

Oral immunotherapy has been extensively researched in an academic setting for over a decade with proven success. As the leading allergy and asthma caregiver in the state, Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center is committed to patient safety and offering innovative quality care to all of our patients. Our goal for treatment is to improve our patient’s overall quality of life, and give them a lifetime of freedom from the fear and stress of their food allergy.

For more information or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Comer, call our Food Allergy Treatment Center directly at 205.777.7183. alabamaallergy.com HOMEWOOD

HOOVER

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CHELSEA

205.871.9661 ALABASTER

CULLMAN

TRUSSVILLE

&CULTURE

ARTS

FIGURES AND FORM

Vestavia Hills artist Joan Curtis talks about her abstract style, how it all began and her most recent collection.

BY KRISTIN ENTLER PHOTOS BY MARY FEHR VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 19

“

When I’m doing my people, it’s an abstract until, all of a sudden, I see a face in there, and then I make it into a person.

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”

O

On any given day, you can probably find Joan Curtis tucked in her basement studio, palette knife in hand and acrylic paint splattered on the floor, layering paint onto a canvas. It starts with an abstract, a background, color spreading across a canvas, and then it ignites into the shape of a face or the outline of a dress.

“It’s just whatever I feel like doing that day,” Joan says.

“I just do it with a palette knife and it just kind of evolves … When I’m doing my people, it’s an abstract until, all of a sudden, I see a face in there, and then I make it into a person.” Palette knives are good, she says, because she likes to paint quickly and on large canvases, with each painting taking her only a couple hours to do and her smaller canvas size being roughly 35-by-35 inches. For her, the palette knives keep the paint fresh while she works.

Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Joan discovered her love for color at a young age. According to her, it started with a 64-pack of Crayola crayons and evolved as she got older. She credits a high school art teacher for helping bolster her interest in painting and after that she was hooked, going on to major in art at the University of Alabama.

“I’ve been painting for 45 years, and I’ve been doing canvases for probably 25 years,” Joan says, explaining that her works have always had their roots in impressionism. It wasn’t until about 10 years ago that she started playing with putting figures into her work, a series she calls DoWaDitty. “They’re really abstracts with people in there.” It usually starts out as a lighter version of what’s in her head, beginning with a color, and then she’ll go back and emphasize what she’s wanting—such as VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 21

layering a more intense red where some already exists to emphasize the idea of a dress in the viewer’s mind.

Not all of her paintings are of figures and people, though. Joan also paints works that are completely abstract, some with city scenes, and even a few musical instruments. “I don’t know what’s in my head and what’s going to come out,” says Joan about when she first sits down in front of a canvas, and it seems like the unexpected nature of painting is part of what drew her to the medium.

For a while, she also dabbled in pottery, but she found it to be too predictable. “I’m a very creative kind of person, so I could’ve gone a lot of different routes,” she says. “But I just decided one day it was easier to do paintings and carry them around in the car than it was pottery … When you have that passion, it just comes out.

“It’s almost like a habit. You just get used to doing it, and then if you haven’t done it in a couple days, you kind of have to do it all day one day. Maybe it’s like … people that like to read and they want to read all the time and they have to read until that book’s finished. That’s kind of the way it is with painting with me. I don’t control it, it controls me.”

Joan moved to Birmingham from Tuscaloosa when she got married 40 years ago, and she’s been in Vestavia Hills for 27 years. When she isn’t working on her paintings,

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®

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she’s at her part-time job, working as a pediatric cardiology nurse in the Women and Children’s center of UAB. Now that her husband is retired, the two take the opportunity to travel as much as they can, and while they’re away Joan also enjoys traveling and picks up inspiration everywhere she goes.

“I get inspired and have to get home and start painting, even though I’m not painting anything I saw, it just inspires me to do more,” she says.

Of course, sometimes starting is the easier part, but as with any artistic medium it can be hard to know when a piece is done. But Joan has learned from her work as she’s gone along though. “I’ve gotten better because I do it so much and I know to stop before it’s overdone, but I used to ask my husband. I’d bring it up and say ,‘Do you think I’m finished?’ and he’d go, ‘Well, her face looks a little scary’ or whatever. So, I used to ask others. But now I don’t; I just know,” she says. “It’s all about the details to make it right.”

Currently, Joan has her work displayed in the Liz Lane Art Gallery in Homewood. Alternatively, she can be seen at art shows in the area such as Bluff Park Art Festival on Oct. 7 at Bluff Park and Magic City Art Connection in April. To see more of Curtis’ art, and you can visit her website at joancurtis. carbonmade.com, you can also contact her at joancurtis@ gmail.com.

ARTS & CULTURE

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

McCall Scofield, Joni Scofield & Ally Packard

Birmingham Dance Theatre Artistic Director & Assistant Directors PHOTO BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

Dance runs three generations deep at Birmingham Dance Theatre. Joni Scofield’s mom Nora Nash started the studio in 1962, Joni took it over in 1984, and her daughters Ally and McCall plan to take its helm it one day. For around 40 years, the studio operated on Highway 31 in Vestavia Hills, first behind Pier One and then across the street. This summer they moved further south on 31, where they have six large dance studios with sprung floors along with a foyer, parents’ lounge and dance store. No matter where they move though, the heart of what they do has remained the same for decades.

What was it like growing up with your mom running a dance studio?

ALLY: We lived in our mom’s office.

If we were not in class, we were watching and learning, which is what gave us our passion for dance, and now I will hopefully pass it down to my kids, Nora Leigh and Anna Betts. Whenever people asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I always said, “I want to own BDT and I want to teach dance for the rest of my life.” McCall always had 50 million dreams, but she’s passionate about it too.

What all does BDT offer?

JONI: We teach tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, acro, hip hop, audition classes, from age 2 to adults. We also have yoga and adult dance classes. It’s a different kind of workout—a musical artistic kind of workout. They learn a lot

and get to sweat, and we challenge them.

What do you mean when you say you teach not just dance but the art of dance?

MCCALL: We are not just teaching these kids step-ball-change, but where step-ball-change came from. I tell my kids, “When you are dancing you can’t just put your arm up because that’s what you were taught to do. Why are you throwing your are up? Is it because you are mad? Is it because you are relieved?

Is it because you are hopeful?” It’s telling a story through our body, which is hard to do.

are not just their dance teaches, we are their mentors and counselors. If they are having a bad day, they can come in our offices and cry. McCall and I study a lot and know what’s going on in the dance world, and we work out their minds and their bodies.

What else is notable about what you do?

MCCALL: We have about 100 kids in our company. They are nationally ranked, but we like having rec students who are just in it for fun too. We go to Nationals every other year in Orlando, and we travel around the country and take them to different competitions.

Coming into work doesn’t feel like work.

What draws people to BDT? ALLY: People see how amazing our You with your family, you are having fun, dancers are and how dedicated they are, you are teaching these kids something and they want to be a part of that. We not just about dance but about life. These think of our company as a big family. We kids are our lives.

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READ THIS BOOK

Books for Middle Schoolers Recommendations from

Button Smith Library Media Specialist Pizitz Middle School

During the school year, I try to read as many books geared toward sixth to eighth-grade students as possible so that I can make thoughtful recommendations to my students when they ask. It is often difficult to get students to read in their spare time or for pleasure when they have school work and extracurricular activities that occupy their time, so I try to encourage them to find something they are interested in and to explore that. My hope is for them find books that they love like I did at their age.

Shelter

By Harlan Coben | Thriller This is Coben’s first book in this middle school trilogy. Mickey Bolitar is sent to live with his uncle after his father’s death, and his mother is sent to a rehabilitation facility. Mickey meets Ashley, who he really likes, but then she disappears. With the help of some unusual friends, he sets out to discover where Ashley is, and in the process, he is accosted by a neighbor he nicknames “Bat Lady” who declares that his father is not dead after all. Adults will recognize Harlan Coben as the author of the Myron Bolitar mystery series.

I Kill The Mockingbird

By Paul Acampora | Contemporary When their favorite eighth-grade English teacher dies, Lucy, Eleana and Michael decide that a fitting tribute to him would be to attempt to get everyone in the town to read his favorite book, To Kill A Mockingbird. To do this, they decide that they will make the book desirable to read by making it scarce. They set out to accomplish this by visiting every bookstore and library in the area and hiding or misplacing all the copies of the book and posting fliers and leaflets that say “I Kill The Mockingbird.” It’s a great tribute to middle school life, books and friendship.

All We Have Left

By Wendy Mills | Historical Romance Two 16-year-old girls’ stories are interwoven in this historical fiction book about the terrorist attacks on 9/11. In the present day, Jesse tries to cope with the aftermath of her older brother’s death in one of the towers of the World Trade Center when he wasn’t supposed to be there that day. While Alia, a Muslim girl in 2001, gets trapped in the towers and meets a young man who changes everything for her. This book is wonderfully written as it flashes back and forth between present day and 2001, and you can feel the emotions grip you from the pages.

Terror at Bottle Creek

By Watt Key | Adventure Alabama author Watt Key introduces the intricacies and the dangers of the Tensaw Delta in this gripping novel.

Thirteen-year-old Cort is used to traversing the Tensaw Delta with his river guide father, particularly since his mother left months ago. When a Category 3 hurricane quickly blows into the area, Cort finds himself with his classmate Liza and her younger sister out on the swamp, and together they have to figure out how to battle snakes, alligators and wild hogs to get to out of the water to higher ground in order to survive the storm.

Wonder

By R.J. Palacio | Fiction I was introduced to this book several years ago when our sixth-grade students read it. Auggie Pullman is a young man who was born with facial deformities and was not expected to survive. Having been homeschooled for most of his life, he convinces his parents to let him attend a private school in Manhattan when he starts fifth grade. The story is one of a boy struggling to be “just like everyone else,” but also addresses the adjustment and acceptance his peers go through as he is introduced into their midst of kids who have known each other most of their lives.

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SCHOOL

&SPORTS

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

When you teach in the halls you once walked as a student, life comes full circle.

BY ANGIE BROWN PHOTOS BY CONTRIBUTED AND BY JENNIFER JONES VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 27

For some teachers, their roots in Vestavia Hills run deeper than their current classroom.

Take Nancy Peake Portera, for example. She’s taught for 12 years in the system, and for 28 1/2 years total. But before that she attended Vestavia Hills schools herself.

“So many of my teachers made a lasting impression on me, and I feel blessed to also be able to impact children in Vestavia,” says the Liberty Park Elementary teacher.

There’s something special about choosing the same community where you grew up to now work as an adult.

But what is it like often walking the same halls or playing on the same fields? We asked a few people who know.

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RYAN VINCENT Liberty Park Middle Sixth Grade English Teacher 1999 VHHS Graduate Years teaching: 3 FAVORITE MEMORY AS STUDENT: How welcoming all the teachers were. I had just moved to Vestavia and was a senior at VHHS. The teachers and principal made me feel like I had been there the whole time.

FAVORITE MEMORIES AS TEACHER: All the great pep rally days and seeing all the teachers and students dressing up to show their school spirit. There is no way to describe the feeling of that kind of unified spirit.

BEST PART OF BEING BACK: I know teachers say this all the time, but I get to give back to a community that gave me so much. To be able to tell my students that I graduated from Vestavia fills me with pride.

JOY JONAS Central Fourth Grade Teacher 1999 VHHS Graduate Years teaching: 1 (This is her first year. She served as a para teacher for three years previously.)

FAVORITE MEMORY AS STUDENT: Dancing at the high school football and basketball games as a Rebelette, and watching our football team win state my senior year.

FAVORITE MEMORIES AS TEACHER: All the amazing students I have grown to know and love.

BEST PART OF BEING BACK: Knowing and loving generations of families here. It is such an honor to have been raised here and now to be able to raise my own children here.

The love, support and opportunities in this community are truly special.

FORMER VESTAVIA STUDENTS AT LPM RYAN VINCENT LAURA EZELL LINDSAY CORLEY JENNY WILLIAMS KATIE YOTHER MITCH CLEVELAND SHAY GOSNELL KIRK SPENCE

FORMER VESTAVIA STUDENTS AT VHEC LAUREN ROMANO HEATHER HURT MELISSA HARDY BLAKELY BARLEY BROOKE CARRUTHERS JORDAN LAWRENCE FRANCIE OUTLAW RACHEAL LUCCASEN APRIL ARENDALL KADIE STONE MAGGIE BLAISING LYNNE SULLIVAN VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 29

NANCY PEAKE PORTERA Liberty Park Elementary Fifth Grade Teacher 1984 VHHS Graduate Years teaching: 28 1/2 FAVORITE MEMORY AS STUDENT: Working on homecoming floats each year.

It was so much fun coming together as a class and working towards a common goal.

FAVORITE MEMORIES AS TEACHER: Each year fifth grade goes to camp in the

fall. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to grow closer as a class and learn so much about each other. I learn so much about my class that I can’t in a classroom.

BEST PART OF BEING BACK: Since I live in Vestavia as well, I love watching my former students grow up and running into them throughout their school years and see all of their awesome accomplishments.

FORMER VESTAVIA STUDENTS AT VHELP CARRON RARY BROOKE VAKAKES KATHERINE DAVISON SUSAN TEFFNER NANCY PORTERA JENNY LOU GRINDLE MILLIE WHITACRE

LAURA HALE GROTE West Second Grade Teacher 2002 VHHS Graduate Years teaching: 11 FAVORITE MEMORY AS STUDENT: At VHHS, I was very lucky to have a great group of friends. We all attended Bible studies together through Stampede and Young Life, and we still enjoy those friendships today.

FAVORITE MEMORIES AS TEACHER: Currently, my entire extended family lives in Vestavia, within about a 5-mile radius of each other. I really enjoyed getting to see my nieces and nephews as they came ASHLEY CHAMBLISS JAMI JONES through West as students.

KEM BENNETT They would visit my room SHANNON STEWART each morning to say hello and maybe sneak a piece of candy. My brother-inSTACEY ANDERSON law, Jamie Harris, is the head VHHS baseball coach, and we all turn out KAITLYN PIERCE frequently to watch the Rebels play.

LINDSAY DRANEY MELISSA HARDY BEST PART OF BEING BACK: At the first of school, it is always exciting DANA SHEHEANE to see my class roll for the first time. I love seeing the names of the children LAUREN MORSE of families that I have grown up with in Vestavia. I like to provide the special LYN KILPATRICK atmosphere as their teacher, just as my teachers did for me.

FORMER VESTAVIA STUDENTS AT VHEW

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SARAH KAISER VHHS Algebra Teacher 2012 VHHS Graduate Years teaching: 2 FAVORITE MEMORY AS STUDENT: I loved the school spirit while growing up in the Vestavia school system. From elementary school through high school pep-rallies, school spirit could be seen in every aspect of the schools.

FAVORITE MEMORIES AS TEACHER: As a school teacher, I think it is incredible to see how much passion all the teachers have for their jobs. Everyone works together to make sure each student is the best that they can be.

BEST PART OF BEING BACK: I think it is an incredible blessing to be able to carry on the legacy of excellence that the Vestavia school system has. I love being able to wake up every day and work with the students in this amazing system.

WEDDING AND LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHER

“I CAME ALIVE WHEN I STARTED LOVING YOU.” - C.S. LEWIS

FORMER VESTAVIA STUDENTS AT VHHS TEE ADAMS AMY ANDERSON BRANDON BOGGS LAURA CASEY LAURA ANN DALY EMILY ERWOOD KENT FULLINGTON ANNIE HACKNEY MELANIE HORTA WES KELLEY JULIE LATHAM STEPHANIE MEADOWS CODY MERRILL BEN OSBORNE EMILY POWELL ANGIE REEDER JEFF SEGARS SUSAN SEXTON DAWN SKEWES MARY VIRGINIA SWEENEY MADISON THOMPSON BRAD WAGUESPACK MILLIE WHITACRE

ERIN ADLER EMILY BEDGOOD CHARLIE BRUCE ASHLEY CORONA LAUREN DRESSBACK COURTNEY FARLEY JAMIE HARRIS GRACE HICKS SARAH KAISER ADAM KOLASA ANNA GRACE MARKLE CHAD MERRILL NATHAN MILES SARA PANTAZIS KYM PREWITT CHRISTINE ROHLING JORDAN SINGLETARY HEATHER SIGMAN GREG SMITH KRIS THOMAS TRICIA VICE BRENT WELBORN W W W . M E G A N T S A N G . C O M

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 31

ALLIE BOYD East Kindergarten Teacher 2007 VHHS Graduate Years teaching: 5 FAVORITE MEMORY AS STUDENT: Cheering at high school football games.

FAVORITE MEMORIES AS TEACHER: I have loved watching my classes enjoy East’s Fall Carnival and May Day Play Day. These are some of the same special things I enjoyed as a child at East, and it is neat to watch my students make these memories while remembering my own.

BEST PART OF BEING BACK: It really felt like coming home when I started teaching at East. I love that I am teaching alongside people that knew me as a child, teachers who taught me, and even others that graduated from Vestavia.

We truly have a family here.

FORMER VESTAVIA STUDENTS AT VHEE APRIL ARENDALL CALLIE BARGANIER STACI BARNES SUZANNE BONOVITCH ALLIE BOYD BRENDA CAPPS ALLISON CHARLES JENNIFER DAWSEY MARTHA DAZZIO LENLEY FAUST STEFFAYNE GIARDINA MELISSA HARDY JANA HERRIN CAROL JOHNSTON KATHRYN LEWIS MONTE MORRIS BRINKLEY MORRISON GINA PANAIA CAROLINE SMITH KRISTIE TAYLOR MEG WALKER

NATALIE MOSS ANDERSON VHE Cahaba Heights Third Grade Teacher 1990 VHHS Graduate Years teaching: 20 FAVORITE MEMORY AS STUDENT: I loved Pirate Day at Pizitz and have fond memories of watching “air bands” perform.

My best memories were in Ellen Fullington’s home economics class—she was just the best! I also loved graduating from VHHS on the football field. I know they don’t do that anymore, and I am glad I will not have to sit outside in the heat in a few years to watch my daughter, Lily, graduate. But there was something pretty special about that.

BEST PART OF BEING BACK:. It’s also really neat to see how education has evolved. My girls (10th grade and third grade) use technology every day at school.

They are really better at it than me! I NATALIE ANDERSON love how our JULEIGH GREEN schools are ANNA FINKEL meeting the SHARON MOON needs of every

FORMER VESTAVIA STUDENTS AT VHECH

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type of learner. I know at my school many classrooms have flexible seating.

If a child needs to stand up during a lesson, then he stands up.

If someone prefers to sit on a fitness ball, then they do. I love going to Parent Night at VHHS and walking Lily’s schedule! It’s very strange, but as much as the high school has grown, I can still remember the halls so well. It’s special that my daughter walks the same halls I walked all those years ago. My favorite part right now is having my youngest daughter in third grade with me. She has one of my best friends, Juleigh Green, as her teacher, which is just a dream.

SUSAN BELL CASTLEBERRY Pizitz Sixth Grade Gifted Science Teacher 1983 VHHS Graduate Years teaching: 26 FAVORITE MEMORY AS STUDENT: Pirates’ Day, pep rallies, singing in the choir and playing in the band.

FAVORITE MEMORIES AS TEACHER: Teaching at Pizitz with my mother, Lou Bell, from 1996-2001, and having my children John and Paige with me while they attended Pizitz. I have also loved chaperoning choir trips.

BEST PART OF BEING BACK: I am very sentimental, with a long memory. I enjoy reflecting on my favorite middle school teachers, friends and school traditions.

FORMER VESTAVIA STUDENTS AT PIZITZ SUSAN CASTLEBERRY MELINDA FAGIN KAREN MCCUTCHEON BETSY WILSON REX SHORT MARGARET SHARBEL KENDALL KENNEDY MADISON ESCUE GARRETT WEST MELISSA BONDS MEGAN HOSKIN DANNA MOSS ASHLEY HICKS KATIE MATCHEN BETH LANG LISA CROSS VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 33

SCHOOLS & SPORTS

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Tait Stoddard

Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation Executive Director PHOTO BY ELIZABETH NANCE

Tait Stoddard knows her way around Vestavia schools. She and her husband, Rob, have kids at three schools (Mary Whit at Pizitz, Worth at Central and Burton at West), and she’s volunteered in classrooms and front offices, served as room mom, helped with events, coached rec league basketball, substitute taught, and worked in Girls’ PE at Pizitz. And starting this summer, she is taking a new step to make a difference in the system at the helm of the Vestavia City Schools Foundation.

What might people not know about the foundation?

We have an endowment that remains untouched. The Foundation raises money that goes to the endowment and grants the earnings of the endowment to the schools.

A donation made today benefits generation in years to come. The larger our endowment, the more money we can grant to the schools. Due to the Foundation, our school system and children will reap rewards long after my children graduate.

What is one of the most interesting things you have learned since starting this job in June?

The generosity of our community and local businesses has blown me away. We have a unique bond in our city centered on the betterment of our community and schools for future generations.

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What are some examples of what the Foundation funds?

The Foundation provides ongoing, dependable funding for professional development, technology and classroom enhancements. We focus on grants that impact a large number of students and teachers, that can be used in future years and that can be replicated in other schools in our system. Some of my favorites are the high-altitude weather balloon/GoPro at Liberty Park Middle, a model classroom for Pizitz, a virtual reality center at Central, and computers and cart for Exceptional Education at VHHS. What might we find you doing when you are not working on the Foundation?

More than likely I will be at one of my children’s sporting events. We spend a great deal of time at the ballpark and gym,

playing baseball, basketball and volleyball.

I love spending time with my family! If we are not playing sports, then we are playing in our yard.

What are some easy ways for community members to support the Foundation?

Amazon.com will donate 0.5 percent of the price of your eligible purchase if you select the Vestavia City Schools Foundation at smile.amazon.com, which works just like the regular Amazon site. We also have cards you use at Publix and are on the Planet Fundraiser app that you can use at local businesses. We also have three main events. The PNC Luncheon is in October, our Pitch-In Campaign is in January/ February, and Dinner and Diamonds is Feb. 24. Visit vestaviafoundation.org to see how you can get involved!

&DRINK

FOOD

LOCAL BOUNTY

After 12 years in California kitchens, Chef Tripp Mauldin has come back to his Southern roots at Satterfield’s.

BY ANGIE BROWN PHOTOS BY MARY FEHR VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 35

E

Eight years between Napa and San Francisco kitchens and four in Orange County taught Alabama native Tripp Mauldin a few things. “It’s really growing and working with sustainable, organic, local ingredients, and letting those ingredients shine in the dishes,” says Tripp, who now uses Southern, regional ingredients from local producers and farms in his kitchen at Satterfield’s. “I like to create menus based on the bounties from the area, creating menus based on what’s in season, menus based on the best available produce around.”

Since Tripp started this summer, the fine dining establishment is now highlighting even more farm-totable ingredients, which suits Executive Pastry Chef and Owner Becky Satterfield’s vision for her Cahaba Heights restaurant perfectly. Since opening in 2005, they have been “focused on fresh food from the farm to our tables.”

36 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

Becky Satterfield, Tripp Mauldin and Brittany Garrigus

“We continue to have this focus on what we serve the public and have grown even more conscious of the purest form of food and non-GMO groceries,” Becky says.

Tripp found his passion early. Originally from Montgomery, he grew up with a family who cooked all the time. “We always had a garden and were growing [vegetables] and cooking from the garden,” he says. From there he went to the University of Alabama and then on to Johnson and Wales University’s College of Culinary Arts.

After moving to California, he worked with notable California chefs like James Beard Award Winner Michael Mina as well as Sylvain Portay. In Napa, he served as chef at Angèle Restaurant before returning to his native Alabama to serve as executive chef at the Montgomery Country Club. Becky recognizes what Tripp brings to the

GET TO KNOW CHEF MAULDIN HOMETOWN: Montgomery THOUGHTS ON BIRMINGHAM SO FAR: I think it’s a growing food scene…I’m excited to be a part of it. I think it’s become a great food city.

FAVORITE DISH AT SATTERFIELD’S: Fried Green Tomatoes with Blue Crab Salad, Sieved Egg and Tabasco Dressing.

FAVORITE DISH AT HOME: On my off days, I enjoy going to the farmer’s market, and creating dishes at home based on what’s best in season and creating dishes for family and friends.

WHILE YOU COOK: Old rock, classic rock, music I grew up with.

ON YOUR FALL MENU: Mushrooms, apples, beets, winter squash, pears, persimmons, sweet potatoes and heartier dishes like short ribs, osso buco, and venison.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 37

MEET CHEF DE PÂTISSERIE GARRIGUS HER START: Age 15 through dual enrollment with Jefferson State’s Culinary and Hospitality Institute.

PAST EXPERIENCE: Baking assistant for Diane Olexa at Olexa’s in Mountain Brook; Assistant pastry chef at Bottega, Highlands and Chez Fonfon; Executive pastry chef at The Club.

WHY I LOVE IT: “I like the hospitality aspect of it, watching someone try one of my desserts that puts a smile on their face. Being able to find different flavor combinations, different styles of plating...I have the opportunity to be artistic.”

FAVORITE FALL FLAVORS: Pumpkin, bourbon, pecan.

ON THE SATTERFIELD’S KITCHEN: “Satterfield’s [kitchen team] is small, and everyone kind of works together, like a family. We all take care of each other, and we have space to be creative. I think [Chef Tripp Mauldin] looks at his food as an art piece for sure, which is always very refreshing. And he is really into farmer’s markets…he delivers with precise execution.”

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table: “We are fortunate to have someone in the kitchen with broad experience that in turn brings a broader experience to our guests as Birmingham has grown over the years, as we are hosting more national companies and international events. His experience will in turn serve those groups better.”

Satterfield’s, which provides a variety of seating options for its guests, including an elegant main dining area, a full-service bar with its own menu served from 4 p.m. daily, a chef’s counter and an outside patio, provides an intimate dining experience with a friendly feel, both for its diners and its kitchen team. “Our open kitchen lends a lot to that as our kitchen and guests interact, and while the tenets of formal service are important to us, we feel that warm and friendly service is equally important to our guests,” says Becky. Tripp also believes that the restaurant’s “phenomenal service” appeals to guests.

This fall, the restaurant has several special events on the calendar, including a wine tasting and wine dinner, and at any meal the menu reflects the change in seasons. “As the weather cools, you’ll see heartier, heavier dishes, more braises. Your squashes, your mushrooms will be coming around, and a lot of your fall produce, sweet potatoes, things that are more hearty, cold weather dishes,” says Tripp, who gathers inspiration for his cooking from reading, markets and more. “Anything I can get my hands on to grow in knowledge and food, [I do]. I’m a very driven, focused person. I look for people in my kitchen to have that passion as well to grow and to learn and try new things. I think I’m lucky because my passion is cooking. I actually do my passion for a living, which is the best part of my career.”

Becky, who has a new restaurant in Cahaba Heights, a Latin American concept called El ZunZún, opening in early 2018, agrees. “We are looking forward to every day as we love what we do,” she says.

Satterfield’s is located at 3161 Cahaba Heights Road and is open Monday-Thursday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 5:30 to 10 p.m., and the bar opens at 4 p.m. Make reservations at 205969-9690 or at satterfieldsrestaurant.com.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 39

ROASTED DUCK

with Sweet Potato Purée, Beets and Cranberry-Red Wine Sauce TRIPP MAULDIN, EXECUTIVE CHEF, SATTERFIELD’S RESTAURANT

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

FOR THE DUCK 1 whole duck 3 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rinse the duck and pat dry. Remove the neck and giblets. Remove the excess fat from the cavity and the tail area.

Prick the duck skin all over with the tip of a knife, making sure not to penetrate the meat. Season the duck with the salt and pepper inside and out. Place the duck on a roasting rack breast side up and place on the bottom rack in the oven. Roast the duck until the temperature of the duck reaches 155°F at the thickest part of the leg, about 1 ½ hours. Once the duck has reached 155°F, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

FOR THE BEETS 6 baby red beets 6 baby yellow beets ¼ cup red wine vinegar 4 sprigs thyme 1 tablespoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper FOR THE SWEET POTATOES 2 large sweet potatoes 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil ½ cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper FOR THE CRANBERRY SAUCE 2 cups fresh cranberries 1 cup red wine 1 cup brown sugar 1 orange, zested PHOTO BY EMMA SIMMONS

While the duck is roasting, wash the beets and place them in an ovenproof container deep enough to submerge the beets in water. Add enough water to cover the beets, and then add the vinegar, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven with the duck, on the top rack, until a knife easily pierces into the beets, about 1 hour. Once the beets are tender, remove them from the oven.

Remove the beets from the cooking liquid and peel away the skin of the beets. Set aside and keep warm.

After the beets go into the oven, wash the sweet potatoes. Place the sweet potatoes on a small ovenproof tray. Rub the sweet potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven on the top rack with the beets. Cook until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool. Once cooled, peel away the skin, and place the flesh in a blender or food processor. Add the cream, butter, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, remove and keep the sweet potato purée warm.

For the cranberry sauce, add all the ingredients to a pot. Heat the sauce over a medium heat, and reduce by half, or until the sauce is thick and syrupy. Set aside and keep warm.

Once the duck has rested, carve the legs and breast from the roasted duck. To plate, use a large spoon to spread the sweet potato purée across the plate. Add one breast and one leg quarter to the plate, and arrange the beets and cranberry sauce around the duck and sweet potatoes.

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FOOD & DRINK

COY’SSangria

THE RIDGE EAT & DRINK PHOTO BY EMMA SIMMONS

A longtime regular of The Ridge Eat and Drink, Coy is also a nighttime red wine enthusiast. The Ridge’s Kayla Vo whipped up the restaurant’s signature sangria so that Coy could enjoy a little taste of red without having to commit to a full glass before sundown. Equally sweet and crisp, Coy’s Sangria is a neighborhood staple that is as refined as it is refreshing.

WHAT’S IN IT Red wine Light rum Pomegranate juice Various fresh fruit Lemon and orange for garnish VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 41

FOOD & DRINK

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

The Bajalieh Brothers

Slice Pizza and Brewhouse Co-owners PHOTO BY EMMA SIMMONS

The Bajalieh brothers are all about local—locally sourced ingredients, local brews and a growing family of local restaurants. They grew up in their dad’s Sol’s Sandwich Shop & Deli downtown and opened Slice Pizza and Brewhouse in 2011 and Sky Castle in 2016, both in Lakeview. Next, though, they are heading to a new neighborhood with a Slice location across from Life Time Fitness at the corner of Cahaba River Road and Timberlake Drive. Pizza service is scheduled to open in 2018. Pictured are Slice owners Jason, Jeff and Chris Bajalieh, with Chef Terrill Brazelton (back).

What will the new location be like compared to the Lakeview one?

The heart of the menu will be the same as the Lakeview store, and then we will do some side specials that are a little different.

The space will be very similar with a residential-style build like an old house because Slice was converted from an old house. There will be tree bark siding and a lot of natural colors, wood and stone. It will be a little larger inside, and we’ll also have an outdoor patio. The bar there will have 13-14 seats. There will be 12 beers on tap that will represent Alabama-brewed beers and will change out. A major part of Slice and what we do is community outreach. We’re excited to extend our Dough Raisers to the new location and will continue to host those on Tuesdays to benefit local nonprofits. With Dough Raisers at both locations, we’ll be able to offer additional opportunities and partner with more organizations to give back to the community.

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What are yours and your family’s favorite pizzas?

The Bajalieh Special was created in honor of my dad because it has his favorite toppings: grilled red onions, bacon and banana peppers. I [Chris] like the Soul Pie, it’s our pizza with black-eyed peas. It gets a crazy look, but when people order it, they usually come back for another one. My What makes a Slice pizza a Slice pizza? favorite is probably the Old School because We’re locally sourced, farm-to-table and it’s just four toppings—pepperoni, house seasonally driven, paired with a locally Italian sausage, mushrooms and grilled brewed beer. Entering summer we did a red onion. To me, the less you put on it, the Low Country Boil pizza and a seasonal better. Our crust has fresh ground herbs, salad, our Watermelon Salad. We just did so you can enjoy the crust a little more if it a locally sourced eggplant parmesan has fewer toppings. appetizer that was extremely popular as well. Right now, we are doing a pizza with What is your family dynamic like as Chilton County peaches, and after that brothers and business owners?

We’re super close. We grew up in the we’ll do one with fig and prosciutto. Our chef Terrill Brazelton’s creativity is what restaurant business in Sol’s downtown. sets us apart. He’s in contact with these That’s where it all started. We split our farmers every day. He’ll oversee menu time between all of our restaurants, and we all have our certain roles. development for both restaurants.

How did you land on this location?

We like the neighborhood feel. We like knowing who our customer is. We don’t want to be off some major thoroughfare exit and only feed people one time and never see them again. It’s like its own little town out there. It felt like so much of who we are.

&STYLE

HOME

HOME AGAIN

This Cahaba Heights house is brighter and whiter—and more functional—with its main floor makeover.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY LAUREN USTAD VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 43

T

Tiffany Haynes knew it was time for a refresh for her and her husband Jeffrey Busby’s four bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom Cahaba Heights home. After seven years in the house, she was looking for an updated kitchen and flooring that would bring a fresh feel to the space, but she didn’t want to move from her cul-de-sac where she can walk to Mudtown, Blackwell’s, FoodBar and Murphree’s and get to The Summit or Whole Foods with such a short drive. “I love where I live and love Cahaba Heights and the community,” she says.

“Instead of selling this house and getting a large house in Liberty Park, I wanted to stay here.”

Tiffany started by dreaming big and sketching out everything she wanted updated in the house, which was built around 20 years ago, and then worked with Elliott Pike of ELM Construction to pare her list down to the most important pieces of her wants and needs that would be within her budget. (She’d looked at several contractors but liked that ELM was located so close by in Cahaba Heights and that Elliott’s kids go to the same schools as hers.) From there she got to select the details to bring the vision to life, many of them high-end because she plans to be in the house for a long time. “I spent a lot of them on Houzz and got ideas from shows,” Tiffany says. “I wanted to have a new, clean look but not cold one.”

EML’s goal was to update the space while also making it more user friendly for Tiffany, Jeffrey, their three teenage children and their four dogs, so the process started with color

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renderings for Tiffany to preview and approve. Before the house didn’t have a formal laundry room, the machines were just housed in a closet off the kitchen. To give them a muchneeded space of their own, they reworked the original dining room space, which the family rarely used, to create a laundry room and mudroom and make room for a larger kitchen, and then moved the dining space near the kitchen. The old kitchen had a lot of wasted space among its pine cabinets and red painted walls, but with the renovations it’s both more functional and beams with its clean, white aesthetic makeover.

With Tiffany’s guidance, the ELM team also renovated details throughout the main floor, with new wide-plank hardwoods replacing old tile to soften the overall look of the space. The stairs leading to the second floor got an updated contemporary railing, and the fireplace got a whitewash makeover to shine in the living room. They also added windows to brighten up Tiffany’s second floor office where she works from home for Johnson & Johnson. To round out the refresh, Daniel Hill painted the brick exterior of the home white.

The project wrapped up just in time for Christmas last year—a gift the Haynes family is still enjoying today and plans to continue to do so for years to come. “To me this is a classic example of people designing for higher quality not necessarily more quantity,” Elliott says. “They made it into something that was theirs and that they would use.”

Front Door Guests get a foretaste of the renovations they’ll find inside as walk up to the painted white brick exterior and open this fir front door from Rogue Valley. In addition to aesthetic upgrades, they also changed the direction it opened to make better use of space.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 45

Light Fixtures One of Tiffany’s favorite parts of the renovation was selecting the fixtures from Mayer Lighting downtown. These polished nickel pendant lights from Feiss make a statement over the large quartz kitchen island.

Hardwoods Both Elliott and Tiffany think the new floor turned out exceptionally well—especially as an upgrade from the original plain ivory tile in the kitchen and light colored hardwoods with a shiny finish in living spaces. “I wanted a wider plank, something somewhat rustic but not so rough I couldn’t have a clean finish in my kitchen,” Tiffany says. They landed on a Buckingham Oak model from Shaw in Drawbridge (color).

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Kitchen Tiffany “absolutely loves� everything about this space, with custom details from the silver glazed porcelain mosaic backsplash to the white farmhouse sink, and from the quartz on the large island to the pot filler on her range. The white cabinets were finished off with a pewter glaze, and the island cabinets are painted flint with black glaze—all with stainless drawer and cabinet pulls. They also added barn doors to open the pantry.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 47

HOME & STYLE

Living Room The original fireplace had outdated black marble tile with a TV cabinet above it, and Tiffany envisioned clean yet rustic look to replace it. A stained pine mantle with rough-cut circular saw marks anchors the white brick base beneath a shiplap finish up top. The finished project provided the perfect spot to show off a painting by Patterson Barnes called “Over” that Tiffany had purchased years ago. “I love the texture, I love the expression and I love the emotion it draws out,” Tiffany says. “You aren’t exactly sure what she’s thinking.”

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Mudroom The Haynes’ under-used dining room space was reworked to make way for this hardworking space for their three teenagers.

Stairwell Small details can make a big impact like with these iron handrails with spindles and newel posts painted black. “Updating this dated wood spindle to wrought iron brought it up to a more chic look,” Elliott says.

BEHIND THE SCENES Contractor: Elliott Pike, ELM Construction Light Fixtures: Mayer Lighting

Plumbing Fixtures: Southern Bath & Kitchen Tile Backsplash: Emser Tile Exterior Paint: Daniel Hill

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OLIVE GREEN The color to fall in love with this season IN STYLE

By Kayley Coggins Photos by Lauren Ustad

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5. WILLOW STUD BROWN BOOTIE BY BETSY The rich tone and suede texture of this bootie brings contrast and fun to any fall outfit.

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Kayley Coggins is a wardrobe consultant and stylist who believes that fashion is a tool to help you feel beautiful in every season.

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The Swanky Stork | $18

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 51

FREESTYLE

FLIPPIN’ Twenty-year-old Bennett Smith is heading to the Olympics of kayaking in Argentina, but his journey started at home in Vestavia Hills.

BY REBECCA SHEEHAN CAINE | PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED| ART BY KATE SULLIVAN 52 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

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There must be something in the water in Alabama. More specifically, there must be something in the white water rapids in Alabama.

Vestavia Hills’ own Bennett Smith and his Auburn classmate make up two members of the six-man United States Men’s Freestyle Kayaking team. And that’s not all—they are headed to the Rio San Juan in San Juan, Argentina, from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2 for the Olympics of the sport. The International Canoe Federation (IFC) Freestyle World Championships draws thousands of spectators and the world’s top performers.

Bennett placed third at the USA Team Trials in Buena Vista, Colorado, in May with a score of 1,256.67 to secure his spot on the team and his ticket to Argentina. Bennett, who at age 20 is the youngest member on team USA, began kayaking for fun in middle school upon a recommendation from friend Davis Moers, who is now Bennett’s roommate at Auburn University.

“Before I did kayaking, I did a bunch of flips on the ground—like gymnastics almost,” Barrett says. “So, I started [freestyle kayaking] and it came naturally to me.”

Freestyle kayaking, or playboating, is a relatively new sport that began in the 1980s and rose in popularity in the 1990s. A freestyle kayaker performs a 45-second routine of different flips and turns (or “loops”) while seated in a short, lightweight kayak on the water. Each skill is worth a different amount of points, and the athlete with the highest amount of points wins. Team totals are calculated from individual athletes’ scores. With ever-increasing international interest, freestyle kayaking insiders are optimistic the sport will be included in the Olympics within eight years.

With guidance from whitewater sports instructor

Jeremy Adkins of Hydrenaline Kayaking, Bennett first took to the Coosa River in Wetumpka, Alabama, with confidence and ease in 2010. He began competing locally and then travelling to Colorado for larger competitions.

Lately, Bennett’s schedule has consisted of classes at Auburn where he is a junior majoring in business management and minoring in entrepreneurship and family business and working at Auburn Outdoors in the campus recreation center. After class and work, Bennett hits the river in his Jackson kayak.

His training regimen involves perfecting his routines, cross training and practicing tricks in the Chattahoochee River in Columbus, Georgia, with training partner Hunter Katich, the other US freestyle kayaking team member from Alabama. Hunter, age 21, hails from Auburn and was the 2013 IFC freestyle kayaking world champion.

The relationship between the two young kayakers is friendly but competitive. “I think that’s one of the reasons we’re really good because we train together and kind of push each other,” Bennett says. “We both want to see each other be on top,” Hunter says. “If I were to lose to anybody, I’d want it to be Bennett.”

Hunter expects both he and Bennett to make a strong showing at the world championship thanks in part to the unpredictability of the Alabama rivers and creeks they paddle almost daily. “The kayaking in Alabama is pretty much a mecca for freestyle,” Hunter explains. “It makes us more diverse kayakers.”

“Vestavia actually taught me to be a pretty good kayaker as well,” Bennett says, giving a nod to the floodplains

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“

The kayaking in Alabama is pretty much a mecca for freestyle. It makes us more diverse kayakers.

�

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 55

BENNETT’S FAVORITE RUNS 1. COOSA RIVER IN WETUMPKA, ALABAMA: Great for beginners!

2. CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER IN COLUMBUS, GEORGIA: Bennett and Hunter’s regular spot 3. WARRIOR RIVER IN LOCUST FORK, ALABAMA

5 3 4

1

2

4. LITTLE CAHABA RIVER IN VESTAVIA HILLS, ALABAMA: “Just five minutes from my house!”

5. LITTLE RIVER CANYON IN FORT PAYNE, ALABAMA: Rapids and waterfalls

The Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders is committed to finding a cure for Trevor and the more than 1,500 children who come to us for care each year.

As a founding member of the Children’s Oncology Group,* Children’s of Alabama and UAB combine research and innovative therapies to help save the lives of children down the street and around the world.

Although the cancer cure rate has risen from 50 to 84 percent and strokes in patients with sickle cell disease have decreased by 90 percent, we are actively working toward a CURE for children like Trevor.

*The Children’s Oncology group is a clinical - translational trials organization with more than 9,000 experts worldwide dedicated to finding better cures and improving the outcomes for all children with cancer.

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THE FACE OF A

CURE

around the city. “A little thing people may not always know is that there is some really good kayaking around Vestavia when it pours down rain.”

As a young athlete, Bennett competed in the 2012 IFC Freestyle World Cup in the junior division where he tied for fifth. That same year Bennett won divisions in the North Alabama Whitewater Festival and the Coosa River Whitewater Festival. The following year he placed first overall at the USA Team Trials and represented the country at the 2013 IFC Freestyle World Championships.

In 2015 Bennett was not selected to the national team for the world championships, but this year he placed fourth at the Freestyle Kayaking National Championship in Columbus, Georgia, before ultimately securing his spot on the US team. “There was a lot of hard work and practice that carried me along the way,” Bennett says.

According to Bennett’s mom, Tracy Smith, the executive director of the Alabama chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, one quality that has always stood out to her when she thinks about her son is his dedication and determination. “He is a very kindhearted, positive, happy person,” Tracy says. “He’s very energetic and always wanting to do something new, which is, I think, why he found kayaking.”

Tracy revealed her and her husband Steve’s initial apprehension with Bennett’s kayaking. They were not sure it was the safest of sports, but once the nerves faded

and they realized their son’s talent, they decided they would not hold him back from pursuing his goals.

“We had a conversation, and we decided we needed to quit telling our children ‘no,’” Tracy says. “If they’re wanting to do something that is productive and will be beneficial to them later on down the road, then we need to encourage them.”

Tracy and Steve helped Bennett get the proper equipment and classes to navigate his dream. “So, we just kind of embraced it even though we were scared to death,” she says with a laugh.

Bennett’s experience (and that of his younger sister Catherine, who is a freshman majoring in visual art at the Alabama School of Fine Arts) has been a life lesson for his parents. “If you trust your kids when they’re really passionate about something, and you support them whole-heartedly, then they just flourish,” Tracy says.

Bennett, in turn, expressed his appreciation for his parents for supporting his athletics and driving him to the river. He also credits the community of Vestavia Hills for rallying around him, contributing to his Go Fund Me project to help pay for airfare to Argentina and teaching him about “rapids” from an early age.

Visit Bennett Smith’s GoFundMe page at gofundme. com/bennettsmith and watch him at the IFC Freestyle World Championship Nov. 27 - Dec. 2 at 2017argentinakayak.com.

Bennett’s sister, a student at Alabama School of Fine Arts, illustrated this image of him competing at the GoPro Mountain Games.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 57

IIIII

Roman Revival Vestal virgins dancing in white tunics.

Servants dressed like Roman legionaries.

Legendary parties for hundreds.

This was George Ward’s Vestavia Temple— and you can still see relics of it today.

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BY MADOLINE MARKHAM | PHOTOS BY KATE SULLIVAN AND CONTRIBUTED

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VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 59

THIS PHOTO & PAGE 61 COURTESY OF THE VESTAVIA HILLS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

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As I look out to the lush green panorama from Shades Mountain from what is now Vestavia Hills Baptist Church, I imagine I’m back in the 1920s. What I see before me is blanketed in dogwoods and wild azaleas, and in the manicured gardens behind me a party takes me back even centuries before. Vestal virgins are dancing in white tunics.

Pompey and Cataline don Roman helmets and swords, as they walk past Villa Cleopatra, home to a beloved dog.

Peacocks are strutting to show off their electric plumage. As dusk turns to dark, the party doesn’t dim. The estate lights up with glitter and glitz. And at the center of it all, former Birmingham mayor George Battey Ward stands in costume, framed by his epic four-story temple-shaped home rising up behind him.

Ward was a true Renaissance man. The flamboyant millionaire was a philanthropist and lover of Shakespeare and Plutarch. A successful investment banker, he had served as mayor of Birmingham twice and as president of city commission once, but today he’s most remembered for the temple he created on Shades Mountain and named by pairing “Vesta,” goddess of the home and hearth fire, and “via,” Latin for roadway. As even a quick look at the legacy of Vestavia (namesake of Vestavia Hills) reveals, there’s no doubt where he earned the reputation of being “as mischievous as a leprechaun” and “as eccentric as the wind.”

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ROMAN RELICS On a trip to Europe in 1907, Ward, a lover of classics and Roman history, had brought back a small model of the Temple of Vesta, which was destroyed in the fifth century in Rome. It was this model that became the inspiration for his home to be built on the 20 acres on the crest of Shades Mountain he’d bought in 1923. Architect William Leslie Welton of St. Louis, a graduate of MIT, designed the temple with multi-hued sandstone quarried locally instead of the Roman marble seen on the original structure, and it was completed in 1925.

Writing in 1935, Mittie Owen McDaniel illustratively described what she had seen at Ward’s “bachelor abode,” overlooking the valley she said you might liken to the “seven hills of Rome.” “High on the crest of a ‘Heaven-kissing hill,’ wrapped in mists of early morning, Southern sunshine at midday, and the light of glorious sunsets at eventide, ‘Vestavia’ sits enthroned,” she writes. “Each window in this temple-mansion frames a panorama of alluring landscape in all its reaches of changing beauty. The grounds stretch out in velvet greenness.”

Vestavia’s upper 10 acres boasted well-tended manicured gardens, pools, fountains, blossoming vines, trees, shrubs and thousands of flowers. Across the road, the remaining 10

closed and white if a party was going on. Ward also hosted a Roman dinner for Latin students at Ramsay High School, a Blossomtime Festival with pageant queens and event after event. He held public concerts and dances where he’d roll out his piano and play, or broadcast music from his Victrola with an automatic record changer.

At sundown, the property was no less stunning thanks to more than 1,000 lamps. “At night when illuminated, Vestavia glittered like a huge constellation high above the city” Poor writes. In fact, Ward was “the largest rural electrical customer in the state,” according to the Alabama Powergram.

Over the years, the Vestavia temple welcomed George Washington Carver, Better Homes and Gardens editor Elmer Peterson, and Arnaldo Mussolini, brother of the Italian dictator. Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell praised the home in a letter to Ward: “So you live in the lovely Greek temple on the mountain top! I have passed it so often and admired it so much. The proportions of the house are so lovely and it is so well situated to show them off.”

THE STUFF OF LEGENDS Former Vestavia Hills Mayor Sara Wuska recalls a story Over time, the temple became known for far more than its she heard from John Eddings about growing up near the architecture, as longtime Vestavia Hills resident Frances temple. “In his courting days, the drive around the Vestavia Poor has documented from studying all 24 of Ward’s Temple home was the preferred lovers’ lane of the era,” she scrapbooks. Ward’s servants dressed like Roman legionaries recounts with a laugh. “George Ward learned about his with helmets and swords, and Ward gave them Roman night visitors, and he installed speakers and would play live names: Pompey, Scipio, Lucullus and Cataline. Ward music to entertain them. The mothers found out about it, himself loved a parade and was often seen in costume, too. and if Johnny Jones didn’t get home by curfew, she’d ring He also built pillared, temple-like houses for three of his up George and say, ‘George, you tell Johnny Jones I said to many dogs: Villa Nero, Villa Plato and Villa Cleopatra, all get home!’ And he’d get on that loud speaker and say located on his version of the Appian Way. His Mediterranean ‘Johnny Jones! Your mother says to come home!’”

In 1929 another temple joined Vestavia on the property, Sea was a pool with water hyacinths, lilies and ferns. Statues of famous Romans were places in fountains, in pools, on this one a replica of the Temple of Sibyl, a Cumaean pedestals, everywhere. “Some people thought he was prophetess identified by Aristotle, on a promontory overlooking the valley. It was to be a monument to Ward’s ‘Battey,’” Poor writes.

Ward hosted parties for hundreds and threw Roman final resting place as he wanted to be buried in cave beneath festivals complete with dancing vestal virgins dressed in the temple. The circular structure was built of red-hued, white tunics. On Sundays he opened his home to visitors steel-reinforced concrete with a large dome supported by from the public to see his peacocks strut on the lawn. One eight pillars. It was not painted white until the 1940s.

However, the festivities came to an untimely close. In day in June alone, 8,000 people visited the temple. A light on the property turned green to signal if it was open, red if 1935 Ward was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer and acres were left “rustic” with winding paths for visitors to stroll and acted as wildlife sanctuary. On the upper 10, a wrought-iron entrance led to rose gardens, a sunken garden, and “the sparkling fountain spraying down through the feathery foliage and breaking into a thousand diamond drops upon the pool, give it all a fairy-like, ethereal grace.”

Around the grounds marched a flock of peacocks “sweeping their gorgeous plumage.”

As to the temple itself, doors off the two-story portico were copied from a cathedral in Milan, Italy. Inside a dining room seated 42, and a circular staircase led to the second floor with sleeping quarters and a bath with a multi-headed shower. Massive fireplaces were identical on each of the three floors, with marble lamps from Italy anchoring both ends of the mantel in the living room. Nearby bookcases displayed Roman statues of course, and the curtains were Gorgette velvet in the winter and filmy gold in the summer.

A miniature “Louvre” of postcards showed off every painting in the Paris gallery.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 61

The Temple of Sibyl was moved from its original location on the Ward property (right) to the roadside park where it can be seen today (this photo).

PHOTO BY KATE SULLIVAN

1940

1958

1975

George Ward died.

A newly formed Vestavia Hills Baptist buys the property.

Sibyl Temple moved to Highway 31.

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1925 George Ward moved into his new home on Shades Mountain.

1929

1949

1971

1979

The Temple of Sibyl was completed.

The temple reopened as a restaurant and tourist attraction.

Vestavia Temple was torn down.

Sibyl was named a Jefferson County Historical structure.

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had a stroke, and his brokerage business had declined in the Depression. He died in 1940 at age 73, leaving the temple and upper 10 acres to three nieces and lower 10 acres and Sibyl to the city of Birmingham. The nieces didn’t want the building, so they liquidated it to pay Ward’s debts. The Jefferson County laws wouldn’t allow for his burial plans, so Ward was interned at Elmwood Cemetery instead.

SHADES MOUNTAIN DESTINATION As World War II was waged on two fronts, the property fell into disrepair until Charles Byrd, realtor and president of Byrd Real Estate Company, purchased it in 1947—a year after he had started developing the first subdivision in the hills surrounding Vestavia (what would become “Vestavia Hills”). After $200,000 of renovations, he reopened Vestavia in 1949 as a tourist attraction with posh restaurant and an outdoor tea terrace.

Vestavia Gardens Restaurant served Southern fare on the gardens with goldfish ponds and views. Imagine it as the Shades Mountain equivalent of The Club, complete with Mrs. Ewing Steele’s orange rolls, now famous at The Club. Ann Cavaleri, a current Vestavia Hills resident, remembers her parents and her soon-to-be-husband’s parents meeting for the first time at the restaurant in 1953. Her husband’s parents dined there regularly, and she recalls it being a “very nice restaurant” with tables on either side of the temple itself—all very “light and bright and very cheerful.” With the reopening, symphony concerts playing, ballets and a yearly rose festival with a queen crowned returned to the estate too.

As a part of Byrd’s renovations, the temple’s fourth floor became a “Temple Room” where New York artist Frances O’Brien painted a giant 88-by-13-foot mural of Vesta, Roman goddess of the hearth, and her six priestesses with seven local socialites used as models (see a photo of this on page 59). Seven other statues of Roman goddesses were placed throughout the room. In 1950 Byrd also added a pergola of eight marble columns that Robert Jemison had given him from the old People’s Bank Building.

best best OF THE

2017

HOOVER

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Vestavia Hills Baptist pastor John Wiley teaches children about the early Christian movement spreading throughout the Roman Empire with the statues reminiscent of that era of history behind him.

These were to be used as backdrops for outdoor theatre productions. Today, these columns mark the entrance to Vestavia Hills from Hoover on Highway 31. Ultimately Byrd’s business failed, but not without leaving a mark on Birmingham.

Likewise, Sibyl would also find a new home at a roadside park marking the other entrance to the city from Homewood at the intersection of Montgomery Highway and Shades Crest Road. In 1975, a 150-ton crane, the largest in Southeast at the time, blocked traffic to move the 63-ton, 11.5-foot-tall structure across to its new resting place. At its new home, the Vestavia Hills Garden Club painted the temple, faced the base with brick, laid floor tiles, repaired steps, poured sidewalks, lit it and cleared grounds, and the temple was dedicated in 1976 during the Dogwood Festival.

A CHURCH WITH A VIEW As to the rest of the property, a young Vestavia Hills Baptist Church purchased its 15 remaining acres for $140,000, making the front cover The Birmingham News on March 24, 1958.

In the early days, church members would climb circular stairs in the temple to Sunday school classrooms, and the space that had served as the restaurant and dance floor became the sanctuary, with the pulpit on the raised band stage. (Today this space is the church’s fellowship hall.) Some members draped the statues to

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Vestavia HIlls Baptist Church added an education wing onto the building with the temple still intact before the temple, in a state of disrepair, later came down to make way for a new sancutary.

ALL PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE, 57, 58 (left side), 59 & 60 COURTESY OF VESTAVIA HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH

keeping them from “distracting folks.”

By 1967, church membership had reached 600, and they were in need of a new sanctuary. Ultimately, the temple itself had become too unsound as a structure to save at a reasonable price, so the church decided to rethink the building. Community members were upset about losing the temple, but its columns were not marble but rather plaster and chicken wire that had been eaten by termites and the statues were not antiques, contrary to popular opinion.

The church advertised the building as “free for the taking” in the Wall Street Journal. Ultimately, however, it was demolished—but not before relics including light fixtures, statues, concrete benches, pews and old books were auctioned off and made $2,971 for the church building fund.

The new sanctuary was completed in 1972 over the lawn between Vestavia Temple and Sybil’s temple. Where the Temple of Sibyl once stood, a “Prayer Point” now overlooks the valley with one the best views around and is sometimes host to small weddings. Before the church installed a metal prefab fencing along the bluff, you could access steps that would led to a tile-covered terrace and then down to a burial crypt where Ward intended to be buried.

Today, the legacy of the temple can be seen as you walk around Vestavia Hills Baptist. As its administrative pastor Dennis Anderson points out standing in the foyer, a curved glass wall around an interior garden stands in the footprint

of the former temple, and as you walk the circular throughway, you can imagine the grandeur of the temple portico. Further back in the building, you can still touch a part of the original 2-feet-deep stone wall of the temple placed in 1972 construction. The house was sturdy, Anderson points out, it was the columns that were not. The education wing of the church was built in 1961 when the temple was still in place, so it was designed to match the temple’s sandstone. Likewise, all subsequent construction sought to match that design.

For the church gardens on the property harken to creation—but also to the manicured rose gardens, pools and fountains that elevated the original Vestavia to such a status of grandeur. They’re just missing the peacocks.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Much thanks to those who helped compile the photos and information for this article: Dennis Anderson, Sara Wuska, Shelia Bruce, Vestavia Hills Historical Society, Frances Poor and George Richey. To learn more about the temple, find these resources at the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest: Vestavia Hills: A Historical Collection, Compiled by Frances Poor, and Vestavia Hills, Alabama: A Place Apart. Vestavia Hills Baptist Church: The First 60 Years, 1957-2017 by Cynthia Wise Mitchell was also a helpful resource.

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INTO THE WILD

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What’s it like to capture lions and tigers and puffins (oh my!) on camera? George Ritchey can tell you.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY GEORGE RITCHEY

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LEFT: A black bear catches salmon in Anan, Alaska.

THIS PHOTO: Photographer George Ritchey at Arches National Park in Utah.

C

Close your eyes, pretend you are in the Alaskan wilderness, and open them again. You see a mama black bear emerge from the edge of the woods with her cubs in tow. She guides them down the creek side to teach them how to navigate the waterfall before them and how to catch salmon. But in the middle of the lesson, a grizzly bear shows up on the scene. Quickly, mama bear eyes him and runs her cubs up a tree. This scene is not just a scene you have to read about to see though—Vestavia Hills’ own George Ritchey photographed the whole sequence from a nearby platform. He’d come to this spot knowing that bears are drawn here where salmon spawn for two weeks out of the year. “It’s an adrenaline rush for sure,” he says of the experience.

So it won’t come as a surprise to know that when we called up George to request an interview for this article, he had his tripod setup looking toward Grand Teton Mountain outside Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The shot

gave a perspective over an area where Mormon families built homes in the 1800s to capture the peak in all its grandeur as the sun rose. Like so many scenes, he’d plotted the best season and time of day and year to catch it, and now the moment had arrived. A few days later, he had plans to go to a place nearby called Earth Fire for animals that have been partially maimed or need rehabilitation to capture the wildlife with his lens.

George’s vast collection of photographs began when he was finishing a graduate degree at LSU in 1963 and was required to take either a course in journalism or image production—and he’s been taking photos ever since. For 30 years that included work for the commercial interior design firm he and his wife ran, and in 1988 he started doing photography and leading photography seminars for the Birmingham Zoo. Today, more than 300 publications have published his work, including the National Wildlife Federation (and now this VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 69

PHOTOGRAPHY IN OUR OWN BACKYARD George Ritchey is one of around 110 members of the Shades Valley Camera Club. “The personalities fluctuate, but the numbers stay pretty constant,” George says. Here’s what to know about it.

HISTORY: It’s been in operation for more than 60 years and members believe it to be the oldest continual operating group of its kind in U.S. MEETINGS: The first Thursday of every month they hold a juried competition with a theme from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Library in the Forest. On the third Thursday, they hold an academic meeting and information session at the same times.

WHAT ELSE: The group organizes photo shoot “field trips” and exposes members to opportunities to enter larger juried competitions—and to learn from others interested in photography in the club.

LEARN MORE OR JOIN THEM: shadesvalleycameraclub.com

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magazine, too).

Back at home, you can see George’s photos of the Sibyl Temple under a blue moon and of the red shouldered hawks that frequent the Highway 31 area hanging in the new Vestavia Hills City Hall. He’s also organized and judged the city’s A Life Above photo contest. But if you really want to get him talking, ask about his travels—to 31 countries in all.

In Moscow and St. Petersburg he captured architectural details and the landscapes in between the cities. In Kenya and Tanzania, he’d go out early in the morning or late in the afternoon to find a herd of elephants stomping by and a female lion teaching her cubs to eat the cape buffalo that she and her mate had killed. He and his lenses were fascinated by the ancients and their carvings in Petra in Jordan, their pyramids in Egypt and ruins in Machu Picchu in Peru.

Closer to home at Arches National Park, he’s seen the monumental formations superimposed over the Milky Way at midnight “It is really mind boggling,” he says of that one.

From his second home In Grand Isle, Louisiana, he documents flights of several

LEFT: This red shouldered hawk flies near George’s home and the Library in the Forest.

THIS PHOTO: An egret feeds chicks in Grand Isle, Louisiana.

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A giraffe with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background in Tanzania.

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VESTAVIA’S OWN FALLS Did you know there is a 20-foot high waterfall behind Vestavia Hills Elementary Central? “It’s a spectacle after a big rain for next 24-30 hours,” George says. “Most people don’t know it exists.”

hundreds of bird species migrating back to the United States in late April, along with the shore birds, alligators, boating activities and shrimping active in the area year round.

Wherever he goes on photographic expeditions, George also tries to get to know locals and learn the people’s history and customs. “It really gives you an understanding of how they got where they are and how they think and behave like they do,” George says. He recalls taking a boat to Brazilia, a remote village off the Amazon in Ecuador, where the community of 80-90 people showed them how their shaman blesses and conveys health issues, and George and his team had brought coloring books and crayons from Publix in Vestavia Hills for a delivery he likens to the arrival of Santa Claus.

The scenery his group saw from their boat on the river and

inside tributaries there was just as noteworthy as interacting with the people, too. “We were in a pool covered with water lilies, and the leaves of the water lilies were 6 feet in diameter and the flowers where 1.5 feet in diameter,” George says.

“Large birds were able to walk on top of the lily pads. There were a number of different types of primate and birds seen only on the Amazon.”

When he returns home to Vestavia Hills, the fruit of George’s expeditions ends up on slide shows at presentations he gives to schools and clubs, notecards friends request and stored on hard drives to share in the days and weeks to come.

But in the end, the images represent far more than what someone walking by would catch without talking to the man behind the lens. “I look at all of them as an enrichment of my insight into the world and how it operates,” George says.

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OUT & ABOUT

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BACK 2 SCHOOL IN THE HILLS

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PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH NANCE

Postponing this annual festival due to weather didn’t cut down on any of the fun of rides and inflatables, music and an outdoor movie in Cahaba Heights.

1. Brody Hicks, Andrew Davis,

Isaiah Pittman and Carter Stagner 2. Shea and Will Hunn 3. Havley Turner and Staci Mitchell 4. Logan Cupps, SD Camargo and Jack Leonard

5. Rohan Parekh, Chethan

Mallempatilneon and Sriram Birur 6. Sean, Lelita and Raya Bonner 7. Dr. Andrew Richardson, Ana

Pollard, Jessica Nichols and

Kayla Cox 8. Lola Vargas and Lena Schatz 9. Riley Beth, Leah, Catherine and

Ben Glasscock 10. Kendall Carter, Mary Ashford

Hyde, Christine David and Claire Promer 11. Leah Davis, Bryanna Davis and

Armari Green 12. Riley McClain and Grace Carney 13. The Anderson Family

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VHHS JAMBOREE GAME VS. BRIARWOOD

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PHOTOS BY MALLORY BARRY

1. Kendall Evans, Mauree Alice

Porter, Emma Isbell, Sarah Beth

Harris, Tait Haiger and Helena McComisky 2. Isabella Lloyd and Courtney Flurry 3. Hanje and Harper G. 4. Kiran Chander and Abby Clark 5.

Amariah Thurston, Diane Snoddy, Grace Sivadon and Paige Sivadon (back); Isabella Gordon, Hayden Robinson and Kapreona Gillispie (front)

6. Julia Gill and Cameron Walker (back); Sophie Crane, Sidney

Olcott and Madison McKenna (front) 7. Braely Gottier and Dana Aldeeb 8. Lindsey Watts, Mary Prickett, Alison Strong and Riley

Richardson 9. Abby Ronson and Elizabeth Turner 10. Meghan Morris, Emily Lo Re, Katie Wakeford, Peter Shields,

David Hart, and Chris Rubin 11. Olivia Reuter and Mary Caroline Styles 12. Megan Cather and Allison Schatz 13.

Olivia Reuter, Mary Caroline Styles and Laura Reed Cunningham (back); Erin Tucker, Sara Guven and Queenie Samaha (front)

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OUT & ABOUT

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NATIONAL SENIOR CITIZENS DAY

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PHOTOS BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

1.

Charles Amos Thompson, John Wideman, Karilyn Mersmann and Betty Batson

2.

Hal Wilson and Anne Martin

3.

Frank and Kitty Harper

4.

Dianne Burress and Donna Coates

5.

Averie Plugge, Lily Henley, Emma Eaker and Rachael Brooks

6.

Mary Morgan Trowbridge and Kailey Koch

7.

Linda Sanders and Linda DeMarco

8.

George and Peggy Sawaga

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Mary Havill, Dona Boone and Margaret Farrell

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10. Ann McCaleb, Joy Wagner and Roula Wolff

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OUT & ABOUT

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ARTISTS INCORPORATED FIRST FRIDAY RECEPTION

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PHOTOS BY MALLORY BARRY

Join Artists Incorporated for a reception on the first Friday of the month. The next one is Oct. 7.

1.

Kim and Blake Alexander

2.

Rick Plasters

3.

Anne Doty and Gail Lucas

4.

Tom Killian, Jane Killian and Sally Threlkeld

5.

Margaret Adams and Pam Hornsby

6.

Gallery Directors Jerome Vason and Dottie West

7.

Karen Libecap

8.

Doug and Susan Westfall, Jamie Mclemore

9.

Liz Edge and Joan Stough

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10. Leigh Ann Hurst and Tracy Holladay

Call me today for a no-obligation quote!

205.789.0890 Chad Long Your Local Farmers Agent 100 OLDE TOWNE RD STE 104 VESTAVIA, AL 35216 RLONG3@FARMERSAGENT.COM

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HELPING HANDS IN THE HILLS

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PHOTOS BY MALLORY BARRY

Neighbor lent a helping hand to neighbor at the third annual Helping Hands in the Hills day Sept. 9. The day started at Wald Park before dispersing for projects to help seniors and residents with disabilities with home repairs and yard work.

1. Stephanie Payne, Angie Skrabo,

Kelly Knight and Jenny Waters 2. Sargeant Moyer and Sargeant Hammond

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3. Ashley Jones and Katie Woodruff 4. Helping Hands in the Hills volunteers 5. Bryan Schmidtke, Paul Pence,

and Terri and Ken Kennamer 6. Grant, Jana and Avery Williams 7. Vestavia Hills Elementary Central

fourth-graders with parents and

Principal Marian Humphries 8. James Robinson, and Roger and

Molly Steur 9. Baylor Martin, Madelyn Wigley,

Emily Wigley, Marian Humphries

and Kelly Knight 10. Girl Scout Troop 172 11. Elena, Charlie and Michelle Hamrick

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The gift of a

meal

Just $1.95 provides a meal to someone homeless & hungry

Give Now at or call (205) 323-5878

JimmieHaleMission.com

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OUT & ABOUT

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SENIOR CITIZENS LUNCHEON

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PHOTOS BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

The Alexanders opened a special Senior Citizens Luncheon on 9/11 with “God Bless America” followed by tunes from the ‘50s. The group meets every second Monday of the month in the Dogwood Room at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center at 11:30 a.m.

1. Jo Anne Mote, Robert Boston,

Anne Boston and Mary Havill 2. Carol Hollis and Carol Saar 3. Elaine Walker and Marty Martin 4. Wayne and Margaret Alexander

of the entertainment group The

Alexanders 5. Linda Sanders, John Wideman

and Christian Johnson 6. Carolyn Campbell and Marilyn Beard 7. Ruby Denson and Peggy

Maddox

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TOGETHER WITH TWOS STORY TIME PHOTOS BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

Tuesday mornings are for jumping, puppets, dancing and more at Library in the Forest.

1.

Melissa and Sam Parker

2.

Kimper and Evie Thomas

3.

Monica and Amelia Riggins

4.

Davis and Katelyn Ehsan

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Marketplace Vestavia Hills Magazine • 205.669.3131

Acceptance Loan Company, Inc. Personal Loans! Let us Pay Off Your Title Loans!

224 Cahaba Valley Rd, Pelham 205-663-5821

Be part of the next breakthrough Cancer treatment.

Donate Today. Your donation funds lifesaving research, treatment and care. www.cancer.org Great Jobs ARE Out There...

If You Know Where to Look!

AIDT recruits, screens & trains qualified applicants for outstanding jobs statewide.

All at NO COST to you! Visit www.aidt.edu/jobs today to view your opportunities!

INDUSTRIAL ATHLETES $17.68 hour plus production & safety $$$ incentives. Grocery order selection using electric pallet jacks & voice activated headsets. Paid vacation. Paid holidays. Blue Cross health & dental insurance. Matching 401k plan. Apply online at AGSOUTH.COM or call Charlie Seagle at (205) 808-4833 Pre-employment drug test required.

Lake Mitchell!

1209 Co Rd 261 Spacious home with privacy & beautiful views. GR w/exposed beams & rock fp. Wood floors, large rooms make this home perfect for entertaining or relaxing. FR w/fp. Multiple decks, exterior stone fireplace, dock & 2 covered boat slips. $270,000.

MLS#786807 Atkinson Real Estate LLC 256-245-6782 NITES 205-369-7769 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)280-0002 Pelham (205)444-9774 B&J Metal Fabricators Professional sheet metal replacement and fabrication on classic cars/trucks. $65.00/hour for labor Parts/supplies additional Quotes based per job. Media

blasting available. Powder coating coming soon. Montevallo area.

(205)665-4687 (205)296-9988 Bama Concrete Hiring Mixer Drivers Local deliveries. Class-B+ CDL, 2yrs MINIMUM heavyhaul experience/ Clean MVR. Competitive Pay/ Great Benefits.

Apply in person: 2180 Hwy 87 Alabaster, 35007 Be Blessed Caregivers (205)381-2391 Need dependable, loving, dedicated care for your loved ones? Call us today for a free consultation.

Licensed-Bonded-Insured.

Bathing-Dressing-Meals-ErrandsLight House Cleaning-Medication Reminders-Hygiene.

John 3:16 Beelman Truck Hiring Experienced Mechanics and Drivers. Great pay.

Great benefits.

Apply online at beelman.com or call 205-665-5507.

Birmingham Hide & Tallow Immediate position for CLASS-B ROUTE DRIVERS FOR LOCAL ROUTE. WELL-ESTABLISHED 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 205-425-1711 OR EMAIL: adria.lupien@bhtonline.com NOW HIRING CAMPGROUND MAINTENANCE Must have basic electrical/ plumbing/handyman/multi-tasker/ computer knowledge/customer service/communication skills/ fluent English. Ability to pass a background/drug screen. Send resume to tammy@abshop.com.

CAREGIVER Over 20 yrs experience.

Trustworthy. References upon request. 24/7. Light cooking, drs appts., will run errands.

CALL 205-566-4900

MARKETPLACE

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

Borden Dairy of Alabama, LLC NOW HIRING for Class B CDL Delivery Drivers at our Irondale, AL Branch. Six Months verifiable experience driving a Commercial Vehicle. Experience in customer service preferred.

Go to www.bordendairy.com to apply. (Careers, select location) Borden Dairy of Alabama, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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)1-800-548-2547 (T/A)1-800-548-2546 This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

DELIVERY DRIVERS Local Grocery Distributor in Alabaster seeking qualified drivers.

Delivery/unloading to multiple locations. Mon-Fri work week.

Requirements: Valid DL, clean driving record. Benefits: Competitive wages, bonuses, benefits, opportunity for advancement. Call 205-397-1782.

BTC Wholesale Distributors FOR SALE: Oracal Vinyl and Premium HTV Vinyl by the Foot or by the Yard C&C Trophy & Sign, Inc. 209 6th ST N Clanton CAGLE SOD FARM 419 Hybrid Bermuda • $1.35 sq.yd.

Meyers Zoysia • $2.50 sq.yd.

Empire Zoysia • $3.00 sq. yd.

DELIVERY AVAILABLE 662-365-3152 www.caglesod.com Carroll Fulmer Now Hiring Class-A CDL Drivers. Over-the-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 CDL Drivers Needed!

HOME DAILY! •$850-$1250/week •Paid Vacation after 1yr •Medical/Dental/Vision Avail.

•New Equipment 2yrs Exp, Clean MVR, Drug Test Chris 205-446-5400 chrisgilliland01@gmail.com Regina (205)275-2293

rparker7770@gmail.com Danny (205)471-3177 dcgcfi@gmail.com

•PRN Dietary •PRN Housekeeping/Laundry •Full Time RN/LPN 7P-7A •Full Time CNA Night Shift •Part Time CNAs (Day and evening shifts) Please apply in person to: 22969 Hwy 25 Columbiana, AL 35051 Applications are accepted Monday-Friday 8:30A-4:00P.

FT Presser for Dry Cleaner.

Salary, vacation, holidays, health & life insurance. Must have reliable transportation.

Call Debbie: 205-588-6521 Hiring part-time salesmen for permanent morning shift Monday-Friday. $10/hour versus commission. Call 256•404•7897 and leave a message to be considered for the position.

Coosa Valley Medical Center NOW HIRING! •LPNs: Post Acute Care •Respiratory Therapist: Sign on Bonus Email resume to: Blaine.Green@cvhealth.net or to apply, go to www.cvhealth.net

PT Golf Course Grounds Worker Visit www.cityofmontevallo.com for detailed job description and on-line application or apply in person at City Hall, 541 Main St, Montevallo, AL 35115 EEO Got a Class A or Class B CDL? WE WANT YOU! We can even do OJT in some cases. We offer a NO overnight, NO Weekend 4-day workweek!

You need to be able to drive a manual shift or automatic transmission truck. On some deliveries you will need to be able to lift at least 75 lbs- just letting you know up front (yep–we have hand trucks and dollys though!)

We start early-so you need to be able to wake before the roosters– but we don’t work late nights.

We are a Birmingham based, family owned Company with a 90 year business history, so yeah– we are here to stay! Call 205-7954533 or send resume to trans@citywholesale.com Library Director Chilton/Clanton Public Library Master of Library Science preferred, with 5 years supervisory library experience. Applications available at Clanton Library circulation desk, email darlene@chiltonclantonlibrary.org or by mail to the Chilton/Clanton Public Library 100 First Ave Clanton, AL 35045 Ready to Work for the #1 Brand in the World?

Now Hiring Class A-CDL Drivers for Coca-Cola Bottling United. Go to www.cocacolaunited.com to apply!

Columbiana Health and Rehabilitation, LLC is currently looking for a few good people for the following positions:

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 EXPERIENCED ASPHALT EQUIPMENT OPERATORS Dunn Construction is now hiring for the following full-time positions: •Backhoe Operator: Must be able to demonstrate use of front and back of equipment.

•CDL HAZMAT Drivers: Must hold current Commercial Driver’s License w/Hazmat endorsement, as well as clean driving record.

2 years experience is a must.

•CDL Driver Class B or A: Must have at least 12 months’ experience operating dump truck.

•Experienced Asphalt Equipment Operators •Asphalt Laborers: Looking to hire in Saginaw & Birmingham areas.

•In search of anyone w/previous asphalt operations experience.

401K, health, vision, dental, life insurance, paid holidays, PTO benefits. E-Verify.

To Apply: Go to dunnconstruction.com Click on “Working at Dunn, scroll to the bottom of the page & click position to apply. If you have questions you can emailcareers@dunnconstruction. com EOE/Minorities/Females/ Disabled/Veterans

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MARKETPLACE PT/FT Farm Equipment Operator, Lawn Maintenance and Fork Lift Driver Needed Drug and Background Check Required.

Apply In Person: 150 Princeton Lane Jemison, AL 35085 Plumbing Service & Repair Technician Requirements: •Journeyman’s plumbing card •Experience in Residential/ Commercial service/repair/drain cleaning/sewer work •Clean-cut/self-motivated •Good communication skills •Clean MVR/background/ drug test Email resume: john@jeffcoat.us NOW HIRING MECHANIC Must be able to pass background check, drug screening, Needs own tools Apply at: Ellison Auto Sales 12 Ellison Lane Jemison, AL. ASE Auto Technician with Imports (German) experience.

Candidate should have: •strong work ethic •own tools Quality & craftsmanship are important. www.empireautohaus.com Welder Training Short Term Licensing Call for Details 866-432-0430 ESDschool.com Eastern Tree Service 24 Hour Storm Service www.ETSTree.org Experienced Professionals 205-856-2078 Quick Response Free Estimates $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.

LABORERS NEEDED INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTOR Faulkner Industrial Sterrett, AL • Pre-employment drug screen and criminal background check required.

• Random Drug/Alcohol screening also administered • Must have State DL or State issued ID. • Must be able to pass basic written safety exams after training • Must be physically fit.

Work includes use of personal protective equipment.

This includes ½ face and full-face respirator, must be clean shaven.

• Must be willing to travel, in and

out of town work. Hotels paid by company and daily cash perdiem issued • OSHA 10 & MSHA a plus.

• Mechanic and Trouble Shooting Skills a plus.

• Pay depends on experience and personal skill sets. Pay starts at 12.00 for basic labor that meets all criteria above. Higher pay is available for higher skill sets or when skills are proven.

• Must provide work history and references.

Please call for application: 205-672-8556 Now taking applications for: •Cook •Bartender •Waitress •Line Dance Instructor for growing business in Clanton.

205-755-4949 or 334-235-0228 PELHAM LOCATION NOW OPEN: Monday-Saturday, 11am-8pm Sunday, 11am-2pm Try our ribs!

Ask about our daily specials.

309 Huntley Parkway 624-4461 ONLINE AUCTIONS www.GTAOnlineAuctions.com 205-326-0833 Granger, Thagard & Assoc.

Jack F. Granger #873 H&H Waterproofing Now Hiring Experienced Waterproofers Must be able to pass background check and drug test.

205-670-0090 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 1-800-634-7315 or come by HTL office at 1700 Boone Blvd, Northport.

EOE Hardee’s Now Hiring •Crew Members/Hoover •Management/Calera Email resume to: hardees2007@bellsouth.net 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

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Looking for a wonderful place to live?

NEW Meadow View Village Apartments. Columbiana, AL. Now Pre-leasing 2&3 Bedrooms.

Great Amenities Provided.

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

Equal Housing Opportunity.

NOW TAKING APPLICATIONS Managers and Assistant Managers MONTEVALLO KFC 950 N. MAIN STREET MONTEVALLO, AL 35115 To apply send resumes to: Attn: Katie Badgwell 113 25th Ave East Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 (205) 553-8621 Katie@jmfkfc.com

for Sales, Service, and Detail Shop. Apply with the receptionist.

205-755-3430

Part Time Apartment Manager Immediate opening for part time apartment manager in Clanton, AL. Previous residential property management experience and/ or Rural Development property preferred. Strong organizational, communication & computer skills. Ability to effectively multitask. Position eligible for health insurance and paid time off.

For Immediate Consideration Email Resume to: hiringdept0885@gmail.com Include in Subject Line: CLANTON Background checks will be run prior to starting employment.

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

Drug Test Required.

205-836-2038 or 205-229-7144

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

Clanton Villas 2806 7th Street Clanton, AL 35045 1 Bedroom Units Rental Office 205-755-9377 TDD/TTY 1-800-548-2546 This institution is an equal opportunity provider and Employer.

Owner Operators Wanting Dedicated Year Round Anniston, AL www.pull4klb.com

International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Celebrating 100 years of justice, equality and fairness in the workplace.

BIRMINGHAM AREA INSULATORS LOCAL 78 THE HEAT AND FROST INSULATORS LOCAL 78 will be accepting applications for a fouryear Apprenticeship Program.

Applications will be accepted on Tuesdays only between 8:30am and 2:00pm at 2653 Ruffner Road Birmingham, AL 35210 205-956-2866 or craig@insulators78.org Applicants must be at least 18 years old and furnish proof of age. Applicants will be required to take a simple math test as well as an English comprehension test.

The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee is registered with the Department of Labor Bureau of Apprenticeship Training and is an equal opportunity employer.

DRIVERS NEEDED $2,000 Sign On Bonus J & M Tank Lines, Inc. Class-A CDL Local and OTR Drivers. GREAT BENEFITS! Health Insurance $9 Weekly. OTR Drivers Home 2 or More Times Weekly. jmtankjobs.com or call Jeff Sandlin@256-245-3933

Kelly Educational Staffing® We’re hiring!

•Substitute teachers •Aides •Cafeteria •Clerical •Custodial positions Shelby County School District & Alabaster City Schools.

Please call 205-870-7154 -Equal Opportunity Employer-

Lovejoy Trucking Montevallo seeking an OTR Driver home once/twice a week Flatbed and Tarp experience, must pass Physical/Drug Screen Terry Lovejoy 205-746-2419 Jimmy Hatcher 205-283-9822

Hiring CDL-A Drivers Sign-on Bonus Great Benefits Local Domicile Work Apply online at: MerchantsFood Service.com/Careers

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/ momma-goldbergs-deli (205)503-6190 Montgomery Stockyard Drop Station at Gray & Son’s in Clanton. Call Lane at 205-389-4530. For other hauling arrangements, contact Wes in Harpersville 205-965-8657 Certified Crane Operator Position Must have current crane license for telescoping boom cranes, DOT physical. Birmingham Area Call 205-672-2403 for more information

WE HAVE JOBS! · Machine Operator- Moody · Packers- Moody/ Hoover · Paint Line- Moody · Pickers/PackersAlabaster Lyons HR www.lyonshr.com/career-search (205)943-4820

Ignite Your Career with Mspark!

For current openings, visit: www.mspark.com/our-company/ careers/ or send resume: apollard@mspark.com.

Mspark offers competitive compensation, benefits and a team-oriented work environment.

EOE.

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

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

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

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

MARKETPLACE 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.

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 Popeye’s Operated by PAP of AL, LLC Hiring at locations in Pelham & Sylacauga Apply online at: work4popeyeskitchen.com Cook/Server Needed Breakfast Shift (approx. 3am-1pm) Must be able to work some weekends and holidays.

Apply at: Peach Park Express 2320 7th Street South 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 251-470-0355 AFFORDABLE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET Available where you live! Call Today for this Limited Time Offer! www.pbsinternet.com 800-266-4409 PLUMBERS & PLUMBER HELPERS Call or Text 205-432-9049 NOW HIRING Regional Class-A Driver Positions For Our Finley Blvd. Location •Competitive weekly pay (direct-deposit) •Full-benefits including 401K •Health/Life insurance •Safety Bonuses •Minimum weekly pay: $700(guaranteed) Call 270-250-3595 for more information or visit pylestransport.com to apply.

Regional Drivers are home every weekend and often mid-week for rest period.

FREON 12 WANTED: R12 collecting dust in your garage? We pay CA$H for R12 EPA cert, We pick up Call now for April pickup: (312)291-9169 sell@refrigerantfinders.com

3/2 Garden Home Calera Schools Easy access to HWY 31 & I-65 W/D hook-ups, Dishwasher Fenced backyard.

No Pets. Rent $1250 (205)433-9811 PRE-SCHOOL OPPORTUNITY Lead Teachers For 18-24mos AND Lead Teachers For Pre-School Age Morning and Afternoon Opportunities Call: 205-601-9482 or Email: queenmoore1956@gmail.com ROSS NEELY TRUCK LINES •NOW HIRING• TRUCK DRIVERS-OTR If you are a professional CDL A Driver, have two years experience,a good safety recrod, and want to GET HOME ON THE WEEKENDS apply online at www.rossneely.com or apply by email at jeff@rossneely.com Saiia Construction Co. ISO: CDL Long-Haul Drivers.

Requirements: OTR experience driving lowboy trailers; transporting heavy oversized loads; experience with heavy equipment required; ability to work in outside environments, safety-oriented, and team-player. Overtime available.

Great opportunity. Competitive compensation/benefit package.

Email: DVeigl@saiia.com or fax: 205-943-2258 JOIN OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM Schuster Enterprises, Inc, a Franchisee of Burger King, is looking for Management professionals who have a desire to join a team where people are the most important asset, where growth is based on ability and where opportunity is abundant.

Benefits: •Competitive wages •Health & Life insurance •Paid vacations •401(k) Apply online at: www.bkworker.com DRUG FREE WORKPLACE EOE Saiia Construction Company seeks equipment operators in the Alabaster area with the ability to operate various types of equipment including: dozers, excavators, rock trucks, and motor graders. 2+yrs. operating exp.

MSHA training a plus. Must have dependable transportation, able to work in outside environments, safety oriented, and team player.

We have day and night shift work, overtime is available.

Great opportunity. Competitive compensation and benefit package. If you are interested contact Johnny Pipp 205.943.2214 or email jpipp@saiia.com

Innovative Salon and Spa in Helena searching for talented, dependable Cosmetologist, Massage Therapist and Esthetician. Join the Serenity Team. Now accepting applications by email: serenity@serenity-salonandspa. com ServiceMaster is Hiring Part-time Fire Cleaning Techs WILL TRAIN! Must pass background check/ drug test, have reliable transportation & good driving record.

Serious Inquiries Call (205)424-4211 We are currently in need of experienced CNC Machinists.

Excellent pay and benefit package. Qualified applicants may apply at: Shelby Machine & Tool 160 Mullins Drive Helena, AL 205-621-6711 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)243-6337

Electrician - FT Supreme Electric, local-based company in Pelham. Must be willing to learn & work hard.

Go to: supremeelectric-al.com Print employment application under Contact Us. Mail to: Supreme Electric 231 Commerce Pkwy Pelham, AL 35124 or call 205-453-9327.

TARGET AUCTION Advanced Real Estate Marketing 800-476-3939 www.targetauction.com TaylorMade Transportation Hiring CDL Drivers for Flatbed Regional Division!

BCBS Insurance After 30 Days. To apply call: (334)366-2269 or email: s.smith@taylormadeinc.com The Painting Company of Birmingham Immediate openings for professional residential and commercial painters. Must be able to speak English.

Call 205-995-5559 HIRING EXPERIENCED CDL-A COMPANY TANKER DRIVERS IN YOUR AREA! Regional runs-Chemical hauls *Get Home Weekly!* **Earn $60K+ Per Year** Average 2,000-2,500 miles/week.

Paid product training-$800/week.

Full benefits+401K. CDL-A, 2-Years Tractor Trailer Experience, tanker/hazmat endorsements, passport & TWIC required.

Call 888-572-3662! www.trimac.com OTR Drivers Wanted 24 Years or Older Hazmat preferred but not required. Full benefit Package available.

Pneumatic tank equipment.

Dry bulk hauling. $500 SIGN ON BONUS Home every other weekend.

Apply online: Vernonmilling.com 800-753-1993

CLOCK REPAIR SVS. * Setup * Repair * Maintenance I can fix your Mother’s clock.

Alabaster/Pelham Call Stephen (205)663-2822

Become a Dental Asst. in ONLY 8 WEEKS! Please visit our website capstonedentalassisting.com or call (205) 561-8118 and get your career started!

SUNCREST HOME HEALTH CLANTON, AL Is Growing!!

We have immediate, full time and PRN needs for RN, LPN, PT, PTA, OT, and COTA’s.

MUST have one year of clinical experience!

Apply online at: www.almostfamily.com /careers.php For questions, please call the agency at 205-280-4663

Caregivers Needed ASAP! Competitive hourly pay.

Call Visiting Angels at (205)719-1996 to discuss.

$5000 SIGN-ON BONUS! HIRING CDL TEAM A DRIVER Apply online: www.westernintl.com Or Contact Corporate: Western International Gas & Cylinders 979-413-2140 or 979-413-2192 (EOE) Experienced Carpenter Needed Please Call 205-755-8555 or send resume to whatleybuilders@ businessmailbox.com 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 Wiley Sanders Truck Lines Inc $1,000 SIGN-ON-BONUS DRIVER PAY RAISE EFFECTIVE JUNE 2017!

Longevity-Bonus.

Quarterly Safe-Driving AWARD. Competitive Pay Package.

PAID Orientation.

NEW Fleet of Trucks.

Call 1-855-777-9785 & ask for Dale or Brandy.

Nights/weekends, call Jeffrey: 334-372-5049 Ron: 1-850-454-4276 Richard: 334-492-0803 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.

YARD SPOTTER Immediate Opening-F/T or P/T Class-A-CDL required to shuttle trailers from truck-yard to loading area. Benefits available for F/T positions.

Apply In Person: Woodgrain Distribution(EOE) 80 So. Shelby St., Montevallo 205-665-2546(Ext.207) ksenecal@woodgrain.com”

FLATBED DRIVERS OTR Flatbed Trucking Co. now hiring Company Drivers and Leasing Owner Operators with 2 yrs exp.

205-592-3422 www.watkinstrucking.com NOW HIRING CDL-A DRIVERS w/Haz. $5000 Sign-On Bonus.

Apply online: www.westernintl.com or Corporate Office: 979-413-2140

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MY VESTAVIA HILLS LAURA ANN DALY Vestavia Hills High School Art Teacher

Remember When

Décor Inspiration

Kathy Harris Interiors This is the cutest interiors shop tucked away in Cahaba Heights. It’s elegant and quaint, and it has amazing Christmas decorations! It’s a great place to pop in for decor inspiration or a special gift.

Bakery Decadence

Almond Cake at Cafe Iz This cake is everything. It’s reminiscent of classic wedding cake and is absolutely beautiful. It’s the perfect cake for all celebrations—birthday, shower, even Christmas!

Eating Local

The Ridge I love supporting The Ridge because they are so generous to our community! They donate to my family’s annual golf tournament, The Paul Meyers Memorial Golf Tournament, every year, and they play in it too. All the staff is super friendly, and I love the shrimp and grits. My daughter is obsessed with the small singing Hank Williams Jr. doll they have!

The Scenic Route

Vestavia Drive I just love everything about this classic street. If we are having an early morning at our house, I’ll put my 3 year old in the car, grab a coffee and cruise down the street looking at the gorgeous view and beautiful homes.

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Mrs. Pharo’s ThirdGrade Plays Legendary West kindergarten teacher Mrs. Pharo’s classroom was like an enchanted wonderland. Each year she would put on a play of a Disney production and cast third graders for all the roles. Her kindergarten class always played smaller, chorus parts in the shows too. They had full sets with furniture, painted backdrops and props, and all the costumes were amazing! I really don’t know how she did it! I played Snow White when I was in third grade, and it was truly an honor.

300

$

INSTANT SAVINGS on Merit II or Observer

$200 OFF

Adjustable Foundations with any Serta iComfort Purchase

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