Tuscaloosa Magazine Fall 2016 by Tuscaloosa News

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editor’s letter

Editor Michelle Lepianka Carter Design Editor Janet Sudnik Director of Photography Gary Cosby Jr. Photographers Michelle Lepianka Carter Erin Nelson Copy Editors Amy Robinson Laura Chramer Kelcey Sexton Edwin Stanton Operations Director Paul Hass Advertising Director Lynnie Guzman Marketing Director Sam Kirkwood Prepress Manager Chuck Jones Published by The Tuscaloosa News 315 28th Avenue Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 Executive Editor Michael James Controller Steve Hopper Magazine 205-722-0232 To advertise 205-722-0173 To subscribe 205-722-0102

PHOTO | ROBERT SUTTON

A look at our cover photo from the other side of the lens, as Michelle Lepianka Carter photographs the women of Alabama football at the home of Nick and Terry Saban.

’m working on letters with my 18-month-old son ... words that start with the letter “F”: fall, football, family ... For the past seven years, my extended family has included The Tuscaloosa News and Tuscaloosa magazine. Working for these publications has taken me to so many unique places and allowed me to meet so many incredible people. I am forever thankful for the opportunities and honor of this job — sharing stories about our community and the people who make it what it is. With excitement I present to you this issue of Tuscaloosa magazine, but it is also bittersweet for me personally as it will be my last as editor. I am moving on to the next chapter of my life and look forward to spending more time with my family and watching my little boy, who keeps growing too fast! I have wanted to feature the stories of the “First Ladies of Fall” for a while now, and with this issue you get to meet them in our cover story (Page 60). Their husbands lead the University of Alabama football team, but their better halves keep things going behind the scenes. Looking for something else to enjoy in the fall weather besides Alabama football? Turn to Page 46 to visit the Blue Moon Drive-In Theatre. Fall is a great time for fresh produce, and the farmers at Homegrown Alabama farmers market offer up a tasty variety to choose from (Page 16). Suite Space (Page 41) offers students a chance to give their new living quarters a customized look, and Downtown Pedal Tours (Page 29) cycle right past the storefront located on University Boulevard. We continue to share spotlight stories of six intriguing people within our community on Page 91 and have a collection of happy times and events in our On the Scene section (Page 105). I hope you enjoy this issue of Tuscaloosa as much as I did collecting the stories and photographs for it. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” — Winnie the Pooh

Reach Michelle Lepianka Carter at Michelle.Carter@ tuscaloosanews. com.

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FALL 2016

VOLUME 14, NO. 4

CONTENTS

46 08 DINING OUT

Dining with a view at Tuscaloosa’s newest scenic restaurant: River.

16 DINING IN

Homegrown Alabama farmers market offers fresh, local produce.

22 FESTIVITIES

Shuck away the weekend at the annual Hangout Oyster Cook-off.

76 29 ROADS LESS TRAVELED

See T-Town in a different way on the new Downtown Pedal Tours.

34 FOODIE NEWS

46 ENTERTAINMENT

Catch a movie the old-fashioned way at the Blue Moon Drive-In.

53 GOOD DEEDS

The latest in local food, trends, recipes and epicurean events.

Mom honors daughter’s memory by helping others find peace.

41 AT HOME

60 COVER STORY

Customize a look for your dorm room or apartment at Suite Space.

Meet the First Ladies of Football, just in time for the new season.

ON THE COVER We bring you on a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of University of Alabama football coaches’ wives. These ladies share in the grueling schedule and stress of the game, while also raising families, managing careers and supporting each other. Cover image: Michelle Lepianka Carter See story: Page 60

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Holler & Dash may be a concept restaurant from the folks at Cracker Barrel, but this ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t no rocking chair-sitting breakfast spot. From the hip decor to the inventive menu, this place will give grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biscuits a run for their money. Page 36.

71 EDUCATION

84 LIVING HISTORY

Take a step back in time at the 117th Hartselle Camp Meeting.

The best bashes, parties and charity events of the season.

76 TEAM SPIRIT

91 6 INTRIGUING PEOPLE

122 LAST LOOK

University of Alabama robotics team takes on NASA challenge.

The ladies of the Crimson Cabaret give it their all in dance and life.

Meet six folks who are making a difference in the community.

105 ON THE SCENE

A photographic collection of moments in our community.

dining out

New restaurant is making a splash with its fresh take on favorite foods

By Donna Cornelius photos By gary CosBy jr.

River rolls in 8

dining out

ne of Tuscaloosa’s newest restaurants brings an urban vibe to the riverside. River, which opened June 7, takes full advantage of its setting on the banks of the Black Warrior River. Its interior is an organic mix of stone, metal, brick and wood. Windows look out onto the water, almost making you feel as if you’re on the prow of a ship. And diners who sit in the outdoor eating areas have such a great view of the river that they can give passing boats and barges a friendly wave. Drew Henson, River’s manager, said the restaurant is “a collaboration in the truest sense of the word.” “David and Kim Hudson and Tim and Sharon Harrison thought Tuscaloosa deserved a really good restaurant like this,” Henson said. “They had a vision of bringing something different to Tuscaloosa. They hired me to develop, open and run it.” River’s uptown look and atmosphere is no accident. Henson said he and the owners hired Concentrics Restaurants, an Atlanta-based company, to help them design River. The restaurant operating company offers consulting services and owns five restaurants in Atlanta’s Midtown. “Concentrics will help you with the design, layout, interior décor, equipment, location and even help you find a chef,” Henson said. Henson is well known in the Tuscaloosa restaurant scene. He opened and for a long time owned Cypress Inn. He said he had sold Cypress Inn “and sort of semiretired” when the Harrisons and Hudsons approached him. “We worked with Concentrics for about a year and a half with Tim, Sharon, David and Kim,” Henson said. “I really want to give a shout-out to Sharon and Kim. The guys were very instrumental, of course, but Sharon and Kim fine-tuned everything and helped me tie up loose ends while I was trying to train a dining room staff.” River’s chef, Tuscaloosa native James Bramlett, said

ABOVE: Drew Henson, manager of River, has been a fixture on the Tuscaloosa restaurant scene for many years. LEFT: A strawberry margarita is available at the bar. OPPOSITE PAGE: Dayboat Scallops are served over farmers market ragout with basil.

he wants to serve food that brings “local ingredients to the table using techniques I’ve learned around the world.” “I moved out to Colorado in 1999 and worked in Vail,” Bramlett said. “Out there, you pretty much have to shovel snow or work in a restaurant.” He chose the latter option. “In 2002, I went to culinary school in Denver,” Bramlett said. “Then I went overseas and worked in northwest Italy and southeast France. I went to the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners in Asti.” Returning to Alabama in 2004, he worked for two

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dining out

TOP: The restaurant is a blend of wood, stone and glass befitting its riverfront location. ABOVE: The Grilled Flat Iron is served with sweet potato fries, parmesan, fried farm egg and bacon vinaigrette.

of the state’s top chefs: Frank Stitt at Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham and Rob McDaniel at SpringHouse restaurant on Lake Martin. He said Tuscaloosa gives him access to a wealth of fresh ingredients. “I grew up with David Snow, who has Snow’s Bend Farm, and have met some good young farmers,” Bramlett said. “I get ducks, chickens and eggs from La-Ren’s Farm in Cottondale. We have great seafood purveyors from Bayou La Batre. “The country as a whole is getting more in tune with knowing what they’re eating and being friends with farmers. I love meeting farmers, building relationships.” River’s small plates include dishes like deviled eggs three ways, blue crab cucumber gazpacho, and fried oysters with avocado, lemon, cilantro and Calabrian chile oil. The Toast — one of the choices in the “From the Wood Oven” menu section — is oven-roasted ciabatta with three different toppings: local duck, sweet potato puree and chimichurri; butterbean hummus, lemon oil and feta; and tomatoes, farm cheese and basil. Bramlett said the most popular dish on the menu thus far has been the flat iron steak, which comes with sweet potato fries, Parmesan cheese,

>> 11

dining out

Wood Oven Oysters are topped with caramelized onions, tomatoes and herbed bread crumbs.

dining out a fried farm egg and bacon vinaigrette. But the fried chicken with a sweet tea brine has a loyal following, too. River’s fresh catfish isn’t prepared using the tried-and-true Southern method of frying but cooked in an iron skillet so that it’s crispy and light — and it comes not with coleslaw but with watercress puree. “It’s fun to do different things with foods that people are familiar with,” Bramlett said. “Cooking is one of the most creative outlets once you have an idea of how flavors work.” River bar manager Andy Caldwell has lived in Tuscaloosa since 1978. “I went to the University of Alabama and took a job in a bar, and that turned into a career,” he said. “Here, we kept the cocktail list small. This is a fooddriven establishment, so we figure out what has a good taste that will complement your meal. We want two or three ingredients to pop out.” He said customers are partial to the River Mule, with Bacardi rum, lime juice, vanilla and ginger beer; and the Perfect Margarita, a combination of

TOP: Many of the staff dine together before the restaurant opens for the day. ABOVE: River offers about 52 different wine labels, and sells about 15 by the glass. RIGHT: Wine glasses are ready for serving.

ABOVE: Andy Caldwell makes a drink behind the bar.

dining out LEFT: A RIver Flat topped with smoked brisket, pickled jalapenos, white cheddar and barbecue sauce. CENTER: Local heirloom tomatoes served with lady peas, sweet corn, goat cheese and basil. BOTTOM: Diners enjoy the riverfront view in the restaurant, which can seat guests indoors or out.

El Jimador tequila, lime and Cointreau. “But if someone says, ‘Make me something new,’ I’ll do it,” Caldwell said. River has draft beers — all except one are local brews, he said — and bottled beers. “With wines, we have about 52 labels and sell about 15 by the glass,” Caldwell said. “We have a good house merlot, cabernet sauvignon and pinot grigio.” Dining room manager Lauren Haddock is a Northport native who started working for Henson at Cypress Inn while she was a senior in high school. She also worked at The Levee in Northport, she said. “When Drew asked me to join him here, I went to Atlanta and worked at all five of Concentrics’ restaurants,” Haddock said. “That was really cool. I hired all of our frontof-the-house staff. I work with them on their training; having good service is huge.” Henson said River can seat about 200 with the outdoor eating areas. A space that can be reserved for parties includes a private part of the porch. The restaurant opened for brunch in August and plans to open for lunch in September. Henson said he’s happy with the end results of the months of planning that went into River. “Our watchwords are ‘approachable’ and ‘affordable,’ ” he said. “River is not too expensive and not pretentious. We want to be unique.”

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dining in

Marketing

majors Homegrown AlAbAmAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s student volunteers bring fArmers And fresH foods to cAmpus by donnA cornelius pHotos by micHelle lepiAnkA cArter

dining in

n most days, it’s not unusual to see University of Alabama students carrying backpacks, books and cellphones. But on Thursday afternoons, don’t be surprised to see young folks toting a basket of tomatoes or a bag of peaches. That’s the day when Homegrown Alabama, the university’s student-run farmers market, sets up on the lawn of Canterbury Chapel Episcopal Church and Student Center. The market, held on Thursdays from 3 to 6 p.m. from April to November, is smaller than the farmers market held at the Tuscaloosa River Market on Saturdays. The campus market is a little slower-paced, too; vendors have time to visit with their customers. Shoppers of almost all ages linger under tall trees, sipping freshly ground coffee and listening to musicians play laid-back tunes. Homegrown Alabama isn’t just a market. It’s an event — and that was one of the founders’ original aims. “Our main goals were to create economic development and to create a community base,” said Andrea Mabry, a former Homegrown market manager who was involved with the project in its early days. “We always

ABOVE: Patrons buy fresh produce from G&G Farms at Homegrown Alabama Farmers Market. LEFT: An assortment of fresh onions for sale. OPPOSITE PAGE: A colorful basket of various peppers.

wanted to have live music, stuff for kids to do. We wanted to create a space where people would stay and hang out with each other — to have a welcoming and inviting setting.” Mabry said two University of Alabama School of Law students, Josh Segall and Edward Miller, started the Homegrown Alabama organization in 2005. “The idea initially was to try to get the university to start using local produce in its dining halls,” she said. “But because of the volume of produce that would be needed, that would have been difficult using small farmers. Then

we decided that a farmers market would be a good way to display the university population’s desire to have local produce in their diets.” Mabry said the first market was a “one-off deal” at the Ferguson Student Center Plaza in spring 2006. “The first market was supposed to last four hours, and we had 12 vendors,” she said. “Everyone was sold out after about two hours. The response was incredible. The next year, we decided to make it a weekly thing.” Molly McNutt Morrison, one of the first market managers along with Keri Coumanis, said the new venture needed a permanent home. “We wanted it somewhere that was basically

dining in

if you go: For more inFormation on Homegrown alabama, visit www. Homegrownalabama.ua.edu or Follow tHe market on social media. canterbury cHapel episcopal cHurcH and student center is at 812 FiFtH ave. in tuscaloosa.

TOP: An employee of Snow’s Bend Farm restocks pints of strawberries at the farmers market. ABOVE: Customers browse through the market tents.

on-campus so that students and professors could literally walk from class or their dorm to the market,” Morrison said. “And we wanted it on a weeknight afternoon or evening, partly because we knew students were not going to be up and at ’em at 7 a.m. on a Saturday.” Morrison and Mabry said the organization hoped to host the market on the UA Quad. That wasn’t an option because the university didn’t want farmers pulling their trucks onto the grass, Morrison said. “I was pretty naïve — so naïve, in fact, that after receiving a ‘no’ for having it on the Quad, I had what I thought was a lightbulb moment: It should be held at the front of the stadium on the Walk of Champions,” she said. Morrison said she met with Mal Moore, UA’s director of athletics at the time, to talk about “my brilliant idea.” Moore turned her down but “was as polite and kind as could be,” she said. The group had almost given up on having an on-campus market when Canterbury Chapel came to the rescue. Although Morrison doesn’t remember the name of the church official who threw Homegrown Alabama a lifeline, she said she’ll always be thankful for his help. “It was like he was a complete godsend,” she said. “He pretty much said, ‘So you guys need a place for your market? How about our church’s lawn? We don’t mind if the grass gets torn up a bit. It will be great!’ I, for one, was very grateful to him and that whole church for their generosity in sharing their space with Homegrown Alabama.” Mabry said the university’s support was crucial, too. “The market has always had a minimal vendors’ fee, and it could support itself if you were to have a totally bare-bones

dining in

market,” she said. “But things like new tents, musicians and little expenses — they’ll add up. It needed outside support. It’s a great thing that so many UA departments were willing to contribute to it. The market was sustainable with a big helping hand of support from the university.” Lindsay Turner, a former market manager who’s now executive director of the Druid City Garden Project, said Homegrown Alabama made an important move in 2010. That’s when the market began its association with SNAP, a government nutrition assistance program for eligible low-income individuals and families. Those participating in the program can use EBT cards to make purchases at the campus market. “In other states, farmers markets were making a push to accept SNAP,” Turner said. “In Alabama, that wasn’t the case. To my knowledge, we were the first growers-only market in Alabama to have it.” One of this year’s market managers, Grace Kyle, is a senior history major at UA. “But I’m more into food than history,” she said. “I love cooking and supporting local farms. And I just love the atmosphere at our market.” Kyle said she got involved with Homegrown Alabama when she “wandered over here my freshman year and kept volunteering.” “Once school starts, we have more students come and more vendors,” she said. “We have four to five produce vendors. This is our first year to have someone doing bread. We have jams. And Homemade Inc. has ready-to-eat food.” Katherine Battocletti and her mother, Valerie, were at the Homegrown market on a hot July afternoon. “We’re browsing to see what to cook for dinner,” said Katherine Battocletti, a nursing student at Shelton State Community College. “This market is really real — it’s just people selling what they have.”

TOP: Charles and Adriane Woodard purchase a sweet baby watermelon from Bunny and Willie Williams of Williams Farms. ABOVE: Jellies and preserves by Sweet Home Chicago for sale.

Laura Clark makes her own jellies and jams and sells them at the Homegrown market through her company, Sweet Home Chicago. “We encourage our clients to ‘think outside the biscuit,’” she said. Clark comes up with unusual flavors and combinations, such as coffee jelly, lime mint jelly, and carrot cake jam, her best seller. She advised spreading a generous amount of her pineapple jalapeño jam on chicken or pork chops just before you take the food off the grill.

>> 19

dining in

ABOVE: Fresh produce from G&G Farms. TOP: Fresh tomatoes for sale at the market. TOP RIGHT: An employee of Snow’s Bend Farm in Coker helps a customer shop for produce at the market.

“The sugar will crystallize on your meat and give it a great crunch and flavor,” she said. To kick up burgers a notch, spoon on Clark’s cranberry jalapeño or strawberry chipotle jam just before adding the cheese — or use the jam as a condiment on toasted buns. The Chicago native said she comes to the Homegrown market every week. “The people who run it are so accommodating,” she said. “It’s always clean here, and you feel safe. Students come by to get ideas. We’ve gotten a bit of a following and always try to have their favorites.” Bunny and James Williams of Williams Farm also are Homegrown regulars. “This market is small, which we like, because we can’t manage to bring all the food you need at a large market,” Bunny Williams said. One of her favorite recipes using Williams Farm vegetables is simple but tasty. “Take the top off a round zucchini and clean it out,” she said. “Cook hamburger meat, onions, cheese, the zucchini and seasonings. Put the mixture back into the zucchini shell. Then cook it at 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes.” Elizabeth Kelley of Elizabeth’s Real Foods teaches home economics at Tuscaloosa’s American Christian Academy. “I’ve been making bread for about 15 years and selling it here at the market since last summer,” Kelley said. “I like this market because I can bake in the morning and sell that afternoon. I try to be here once a month during the school year. “I use whole grains. The taste is better. I don’t use hydrogenated or refined sugar. Nutrition plays a huge role in what I do.” Kelley suggested an easy-to-put-together toppings for her breads. “Toast a slice of wheat bread, spread it with avocado and top it with a fried egg,” she said. “You can add cheese — I like mozzarella or Gruyere — and you’ve got a healthy breakfast.”

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ENJOY THE SWEET, FIERY TASTE OF SOUTHERN SPICE. THEN BRACE YOURSELF. 92

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festivities

Pearl Jam this november, Chefs will take a CraCk at the hangoutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oyster Cook-off

by donna Cornelius photos by t.g. pasChal

festivities

f you’re not an oyster lover, stop reading now and go find an article about chicken fingers or some such. But if you’re a fan of the briny little mollusks in all their incarnations, put big red circles around Nov. 4 and Nov. 5 on your calendar. Those are the dates of the 2016 edition of The Hangout Oyster Cook-off and Craft Beer Weekend in Gulf Shores. The weekend is a total oyster immersion, with some 60 professional cooking teams competing in three categories: Gulf Coast Cajun, oysters Rockefeller and raw. The chefs and their helpers cook on site, so festivalgoers get to taste the creations almost as soon as they’re made. That’s on Saturday. But the fun starts on Friday night with craft beer tastings from more than 60 breweries. Last year’s lineup included samples from Tuscaloosa’s Black Warrior Brewing Co. and several other Alabama breweries. If that’s not enough, the weekend also has Bloody Mary-making and oyster-shucking contests, cooking demos by celebrity chefs, and music. In short, there’s no rest for the weary — particularly those competing in the cook-off. Last year, Chef Tres Jackson and his crew from Tuscaloosa’s Epiphany restaurant got up at 2:30 a.m. to make the trip south and started cooking less than seven hours later. “This was the fourth time we participated,” Jackson said at last year’s event. “You start cooking about 9 a.m.” The festival provides a grill and the oysters for each competing team. “We take all the food prep and other equipment,” Jackson said. The innovative chef put together some unusual

TOP: Fans and spectators listen to music and sit in the courtyard at the Oyster Cook-off at The Hangout in Gulf Shores in 2015. ABOVE: Edward Snyder shucks oysters at the event. OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: Pesto Oysters Rockefeller. BOTTOM: Thousands of oysters are eaten at the annual culinary celebration.

ingredients for one of his entries: oysters with fennel sand, green tea foam and cucumber risotto. Joel Frederick, Epiphany’s chef de cuisine and head chef at the soon-to-open AB restaurant in Tuscaloosa, said the combination seemed to intrigue folks who stopped by for a taste. “People seemed more receptive this year to trying new variations,” Frederick said. Jackson said he and Frederick will be back at the cook-off again this year, either as Epiphany or AB. Another competitor with a Tuscaloosa tie-in was Jeremy Downey, who played on the University of Alabama’s 1992 national championship team. He’s now the

festivities owner and head chef at Bistro V in Vestavia Hills. Last year, Downey won fourth place in the raw oyster category for his West Indies-Zing Zang granita concoction and eighth place in the Cajun division. The Cajun dish had Conecuh tomato puree, Cajun-spiced butter and pecorino cheese. Downey grew up eating oysters in Bayou La Batre on the Alabama Gulf Coast. And he’s still an oyster lover. “You taste that saltwater in your mouth, and it brings you home,” he said. “I love that briny taste, that taste of the sea.” Like many festivalgoers last year, Downey didn’t want to miss any big college football games, especially the Alabama-LSU game on Saturday night. The Hangout had big-screen TVs around so fans could enjoy some football with their oysters. In the demo tent at the 2015 festival, one of the most popular folks was Birmingham’s Martie Duncan, a “Food Network Star” finalist in 2012. She and Jim Smith, executive chef of the state of Alabama and Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission chairman, teamed up to make oyster stew Southern-style, which meant it had a biscuit on top. Duncan entertained the audience with an impromptu song and dance and mixed humor in with her cooking. “On ‘Food Network Star,’ I was too busy to taste things,” she told the audience as she sampled the stew. “So if the judges said something was good, I was always pleasantly surprised.” Another big draw was Anne Burrell. The lively, spiky-haired chef is a Food Network regular, hosting “Worst Cooks in America” and making other frequent appearances.

ABOVE: David Bundock of the Original Oyster House pours barbecue sauce over the top of grilled oysters as he competes in the Oyster Cook-off. TOP: Jim Smith speaks to the crowd at the cook-off and demonstrates how to prepare an oyster dish. CENTER: The official event shirt has a little fun with puns.

festivities Burrell, who said she was visiting Alabama for the first time, made fried oysters with wasabi aioli and an Asian pear and Belgian endive salad. “Oysters and I broke up a few years ago after I ate some and got sick,” she said. “But oysters and I are hooking up again. This is my second oyster festival this year.” Burrell advised opening oysters carefully. “Do not have several drinks and say, ‘Oh, geez, let me just use a paring knife,’” she said. “An oyster knife is the tool to use.” Marc Murphy, a frequent judge on Food Network’s “Chopped” and the owner and executive chef of Benchmarc Restaurants, said he’d be making tarragon butter for his dish by “mooshing” ingredients together. “That’s a culinary term,” he said with a grin. After each demo, chefs took questions from the audience. One person asked Murphy if he was ever afraid to taste dishes on “Chopped.” The show’s contestants have to come up with a dish using ingredients that often aren’t kitchen staples.

Shelling out recipeS Too hungry for oysters to wait for The Hangout festival? Try cooking them at home with these recipes shared by chefs Anne Burrell and Marc Murphy.

Anne Burrell’s Crispy Fried Oysters with wAsABi AiOli And AsiAn peAr And endive sAlAd For the oysters: 1 dozen shucked oysters, bottom shells reserved 1½ cups all-purpose flour 2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs 1 quart peanut or other neutrally flavored oil for frying

tOp: Oyster Cook-off competitor Jeremy Downey, owner and chef at Bistro V, played on the 1992 University of Alabama football team. Center And riGht: Paul Miskob makes Bloody Marys with all sorts of garnishes for spectators.

For the wasabi aioli: 2 egg yolks 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1½ cups peanut or other neutrally flavored oil 1 tablespoon wasabi powder Kosher salt to taste For the Asian pear salad: 1 Asian pear, cut into julienne 2 Belgian endives, cut into julienne 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 bunch chives, finely minced Kosher salt to taste For the oysters: Using one hand for wet things

and one hand for dry things, dredge each oyster in flour, then the beaten egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs. Lay the breaded oysters on a sheet tray and then refrigerate for an hour. For the aioli: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the egg yolks and red wine vinegar. While the food processor is running, begin to add the oil drop by drop. When the mixture begins to thicken, the oil can be added in a steady, small, slow stream. Be patient here; if you rush this, it won’t work. Add the wasabi powder and pulse to combine. Season with salt to taste. Set aside. For the salad: Toss the julienned Asian pear and Belgian endives with the vinegar and set aside. To assemble: Heat 1 quart of oil in a sauce pan to 350 degrees. Set up a plate lined with paper towels. Fry the oysters until they are golden brown. Flip them to make sure that they are golden brown on both sides. Transfer to the paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Place a little dot of the wasabi aioli in the bottom of each oyster shell. Lay a fried oyster on it and press to secure. Top each oyster with some of the Asian pear salad. Spoon some aioli on top of the salad and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately. 25

festivities

Many varieties of oysters were served at the 2015 event, including Rockefeller topped with bacon, below, and cocktail sauce, above.

festivities “We judges sometimes think we need hazard pay,” Murphy said. “One guy put lamb hearts in the blender and chopped them up with rice. One contestant made soft-shelled crab, and one claw didn’t get cooked. That was the nastiest thing I ever had.” Thankfully, the oyster chefs at the Hangout festival produce much tastier food, and some get rewarded for it at an awards presentation on Saturday night. Judges pick winners in each category and the overall champion. Festival attendees get a say, too; they receive tickets to deposit each time they eat a sample. The dishes with the most tickets win People’s Choice awards. No doubt your burning question now is: What happens to all those oyster shells? There are receptacles throughout the festival grounds for recycling the shells, which can be turned into oyster reefs and thus repopulate Mobile Bay with — what else? — more oysters.

If you go: The hangouT oysTer Cook-off and CrafT Beer Weekend Will Be nov. 4-5. for updaTes, TiCkeTs and info, visiT WWW.hangouT Cookoff.Com. folloW The fesTival on TWiTTer @hangouTCookoff. MARC MuRPhy’s GRillEd OysTERs wiTh TARRAGON hERBEd BuTTER 40 oysters, in shells For the tarragon butter: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 ⁄4 cup coarsely chopped fresh tarragon ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 4 tablespoons minced shallot 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest 2 tablespoons roasted garlic Kosher salt and black pepper Directions: Make the butter: Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Prepare grill to medium high heat. Place oysters on a grill, cover with lid and cook until they are opened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Once oysters are opened, place a dollop of the tarragon butter on each. Close lid and cook until butter is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serves 10.

TOP: New Breed Brass Band from New Orleans performs. CENTER: Craft breweries from around the nation had serving tents at the 2015 event. ABOVE: Birmingham’s Good People Brewery was on hand with many choices.

We’re turning a corner. (You know how we handle corners)

Leigh Automotive is Now Mercedes-Benz of Tuscaloosa A new day is dawning at Tuscaloosa’s premier Mercedes-Benz dealership. We’re proud to welcome new ownership and announce a new name, Mercedes-Benz of Tuscaloosa. The changes stop there, though. Everything else – from our friendly people to

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our great service — will stay just the way you like it.

205-556-11111 • MercedesOfTuscaloosa.com

roads less traveled

By donna cornelius PhoTos By erin nelson

pedal pushers Pedal Tours are a cool way To Tool around T-Town

Guests pedal their way through downtown Tuscaloosa on the Downtown Pedal Tour.

roads less traveled

LEFT: Guests pedal their way through downtown Tuscaloosa on the Downtown Pedal Tour. CENTER: The bicycle cart requires at least eight people for a tour. The cart runs completely on manpower. BOTTOM: Guests pedal for about 20 minutes at a time, and then stop at the next tour location.

hink you’d look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two (assuming you’re old enough to remember that little tune)? You’d look even sweeter on a bike built for 15. If you’ve seen an odd-looking contraption wheeling around Tuscaloosa, you’ve probably spotted one of Downtown Pedal Tours’ multirider bicycles. Tammie and Ed Chism, who own Crown Limousine and Sedan Service in Northport, and their son, Todd Chism, are giving folks a chance to tool around town in a fun way — and to get a little exercise, too. The Chisms have two bikes that each seat 15 people, all but five of whom can pedal. The driver faces forward, as do the three riders who sit on a bench at the back of the vehicle. The other riders sit along the bike’s sides facing each other. The Chisms’ new business venture, which they started in March, was inspired when they happened to see one of the bikes when they were driving back from Chicago and made an unscheduled stop. “We got off the interstate in downtown Indianapolis to check it out,” Ed Chism said. “We hear a commotion, and here comes the weirdest thing I’d ever seen. We filmed it.” Back home in Alabama, the Chisms began the process of having their own Pedal Tours company. “We went to the Tuscaloosa city officials, and they were awesome from the beginning,” Ed said. “The bike gives any city a ‘touristy’ vibe.” Downtown Pedal Tours offers several different rental packages. Groups — you have to have at least eight pedalers — can make up to three stops at bars, restaurants or shops. You can customize your outing or choose from several options, including a University of Alabama tour, a downtown tour or a brewpub tour. “We had a 21st birthday party group and took them to Catch 22, Taco Mama and then Innisfree,” Todd said. “They all had a good time. And the tours are customizable. We’ll stop anywhere we can safely stop.” If you don’t have a big group, you can sign up for a Social Mixer Tour on Thursday and Friday nights. Mixer tours have an eight-person minimum. The Chisms said they learned at a pedal tours convention that, nationwide, almost 80 percent of those who rent the bikes are women and that bachelorette parties are the most popular occasion for bike tours. Tammie Chism said the tours last two hours.

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roads less traveled “You pedal about 20 minutes, stop for 20 minutes, and so on,” she said. “There’s about one hour total of pedaling.” Ed said some business owners have asked Pedal Tours to stop at their places. “After all, we’re bringing them 15 people to come through their doors,” he said. Tammie said they plan for Downtown Pedal Tours to expand to Birmingham. “You buy territories that come with the bike,” she said. “We have the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa territories. That’s one reason we bought two bikes. They’re made in the Netherlands. They build the bikes there, put them on a ship — that takes about eight weeks — and they go to Mobile and then by train to Huntsville.” Ed and Todd are the drivers. “The driver doesn’t pedal, but works the steering brakes and gives directions like, ‘Let’s all give a turn signal,’” Ed said. “The bikes are totally pedal-powered. We try to stay on flat areas as much as possible and to make sure that everyone is safe.” On July 14, Amy Pierce had rounded up a group of friends and neighbors from Northport’s West Circle community for an evening outing. “I’d seen these bikes before when we were in New Orleans, and I couldn’t believe it when I found out they were coming to Tuscaloosa,” Pierce said. “It seemed like so much fun.” After the riders had taken their seats on the bike, Ed Chism, their driver, gave them a short spiel. “I’m going to give you a two-minute speech on Pedaling 101,” he told the lively group. “Remember that anytime we go down a hill, we also have to go up a hill, so don’t get too

IF YOU GO: visit www.down

townpedaltours.com or call 205-535-4454. tours can be booked online. riders must be at least 18 years old.

RIGHT: Ed and Todd Chism are the owners of the Downtown Pedal Tours. ABOVE: Ed Chism steers a group around downtown Tuscaloosa.

roads less traveled

excited. Yell ‘man down’ if you drop something.” With that, the friends were off on their adventure, laughing and singing along with the upbeat music that’s played on the bike’s sound system. “I’ve learned that almost everyone knows the words to ‘Don’t Stop Believin’,’” Ed Chism said with a grin. Todd Chism said most drivers don’t seem to mind getting behind the bikes, which go about 5 miles per hour maximum — except for one incident. “On our very first tour, a policeman stopped us,” he said. “We had to get out our paperwork to show him we were legal.” His customers weren’t bothered by the unexpected stop. “They were all taking pictures for Facebook,” he said.

TOP: Guests pedal their way to various tour stops, which are customizable. ABOVE: The carts are custom made in the Netherlands, and are then shipped over by boat to the United States.

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MEDICAL CENTER

foodie news by donna cornelius, the snooty foodie | photos by michelle lepianka carter

cooking catastrophes ... ... and how to avoid them

ne of my dearest friends, whom we shall call Louise (because that is her name), asked me to write about a subject with which all cooks have at least some degree of experience: cooking disasters. Louise knows her way around a kitchen but, like most of us, she’s had the occasional stumble. I’ve experienced everything from minor disappointments (oven-fried chicken that wasn’t quite as golden brown as the photo in Food Network Magazine) to epic fails (brisket that was about as tender as a cheap boot). Thus, I know it’s no fun to spend time making something that you intended to be tasty and have it turn out — well, not exactly up to Julia Child standards. There’s plenty of information online about remedying specific problems: soup that’s too salty, cakes that cling to the pan like grim death, veggies that morph into a mess of mush. But when it comes to general success in the kitchen, the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is particularly applicable. You can avoid quite a few culinary wrong turns before you even turn on the stove. n Invest in good equipment. Cheap pots, pans, baking sheets and other cooking tools are cheap for a reason, and they won’t produce the same results as the well-made stuff. For example, buy a high-quality chef’s knife if you don’t already have one. I love my Global knife more than I love my best jewelry, even though my husband is convinced I’m going to slice off a finger with it. I’m willing to take the risk, because using a good knife means I’m properly slicing and chopping rather than sawing and hacking. n Read the recipe carefully. Make sure you have everything you need before you start. There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a recipe and realizing you’re missing a key ingredient. This rule doesn’t just apply to unusual items that you may not stock in your pantry — turbinado sugar, garam masala — but to staples like baking soda (mine is usually past the expiration date) and whole milk (we tend to 34

buy the nonfat version). n Have a game plan. When I’m having folks over to eat, one of the things I get most stressed about is the timetable. I’m always afraid that the meat will be ready long before the vegetables or vice versa. My OCD tendencies lead me to make a detailed list with instructions like “turn the oven to 350 degrees at 4:45 p.m.” and “dress the salad at 6:20 p.m.” I tend to get distracted by things like dogs, children and the need to trot back to my wine fridge for a refill. That’s why I set timers for everything. If your oven has only one timer, set alarms on your phone. This is a far more reliable system than asking your husband to remind you to check the almonds you’re toasting, as I have learned through sad experience. Overkill, maybe — but it’s definitely destressing for me. And that leads me to … n Read the recipe carefully, part 2. Be careful when recipe instructions include the time involved. It may say 30 minutes, but that’s only if you’ve already done stuff like fried and cooked the bacon and diced 14 different veggies. n Mise en place really works. Assembling and measuring your ingredients before you ever start cooking means that you know you have everything you need (see No. 2) and in the proper amounts. Set them out in the order you’ll need them. You’ll be surprised at how much easier this makes the cooking process, and it helps you avoid the old “My gosh, I forgot to put sugar in the cake batter” problem. Plus, you will feel really cool when someone wanders into the kitchen and says, “What’s all this?” and you can breezily say, “Oh, that’s just my mise en place.”

—

Donna

Donna Cornelius is a Tuscaloosa writer whose motto is: So much food, so little time. Contact her to share recipes, restaurant news or anything food-related at donnawcornelius@bellsouth.net. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @blonde ravenous.

EpicurEanevents Sept. 15-17

Greek Festival Birmingham

This is the 44th year for Birmingham’s Greek Food Festival at the Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 307 19th St. S. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. The event includes Greek food, a Greek band and dancing. There’s no admission charge. Drivethrough service is available. For more information, visit www.birminghamgreek festival.net.

Sept. 25

Breakin’ Bread, the local Flavor Festival Birmingham

The 2016 edition of this annual event hosted by the Birmingham Originals features signature dishes from locally owned restaurants, a farmers market, entertainment and a children’s area with animal encounters. It’s from 1-5 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces, 20 32nd St. N. For tickets or more information, visit www.birmingham originals.org.

Oct. 7-8

Bacon Brew & Que tuScalOOSa

The Bama Brew & Que Festival has teamed up with the Bacon Brew Fest for this revamped Young Professionals of Tuscaloosa event at Munny Sokol Park. It’s a Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned barbecue competition that will include bacon-themed culinary creations and local brews. For more information, visit www.yptuscaloosa.com.

Oct. 8

alaBama Festival oF Flavor FOley The fifth annual Alabama Festival of Flavor showcases local and regional foods, wine and craft beer. The festival kicks off with its annual dinner, Chicago Street Supper Club, on Oct. 6 at Foley’s Wolf Bay Lodge. For more information, visit www.alabamafestivalofflavor.com.

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FOODIE NEWS

Four of the signature biscuits available at Holler & Dash, now open on University Boulevard.

BOLDER

BISCUIT

HOLLER & DASH PUTS ITS TASTY TWIST ON A SOUTHERN STAPLE

foodie news Shortly after the Tuscaloosa Holler & Dash opened, the young chef was in the kitchen thinking up new creations. He came up with a brown butter biscuit with peanut butter mousse, spicy sugar bacon, bananas, pork fat maple syrup, salted caramel popcorn and chocolate sea salt. Good news: He likely will add it to the regular menu. General manager J.P. Mendes is a first-generation American who said he was “always meant to be a Southerner.” His parents emigrated from Portugal to New York. Mendes followed friends to the University of Alabama. “This is coming home for me,” he said. “I love Tuscaloosa.” Mendes and his family live in McCalla. “I lived in Nashville, and my background is more in fine dining,” he said. “This is a much better fit for me. I did everything from nightclubs to opening a whiskey bar and spent time in the kitchen, too.” The Tuscaloosa store is Holler & Dash’s second location; the other is in downtown Homewood. Company officials said the plan is to continue to focus on “opening our doors in communities that support good food, good people and good practices.” et’s be honest: Your first thought upon hearT-town’s Holler & Dash will have exing that a new restaurant is a Cracker Barrel panded hours. Country Store concept and that it specializes “In Homewood, we’re open from 7 a.m. in biscuits probably isn’t “Wow! That’s excitto 2 p.m.,” Mendes said. “Here, on Fridays ing!” and Saturdays, we’ll be open from 7 a.m. Maybe you should think again. to 9 p.m. We’ll extend the hours for late Holler & Dash Biscuit House, which opened on The home football games. We’ll be the first Strip in Tuscaloosa in July, fills the traditional Southern place open on the block for breakfast.” food with all kinds of tasty — and unexpected — stuff. Frohne is big on using locally and Grandmother’s biscuits may have been good, but it’s a regionally produced ingredients, such as pretty safe bet she didn’t serve them with tomato jam, goat cheese from Stone Hollow Farmstead fried goat cheese, red-eye aioli or kale (unless she was a in Harpersville, olive oil from Georgia foodie granny ahead of her time). Olive Farm, and honey from City Bee Instead of front porch rocking chairs, Holler & Dash Co., an urban beekeeping company in has a hip interior design, with hand-painted walls and Birmingham. benches, a garage door that can be opened on pretty “We have a craft soda program that’s days and community tables. And instead of taking home like a good mixology program,” Frohne framed lace hearts and saltwater taffy, diners can leave said. “We have flavors like strawberrywith bags of Unicorn Blood coffee or jars of small batch lemongrass and huckleberry-peach and jam. will change them up seasonally. The sodas But it’s the biscuits that are the headliners. There’s the are constructed right in front of you. We Kickback Chicken with fried chicken, goat cheese, green try to put detail in everything we do.” onions and sweet pepper jelly. The Pork Rambler has For those who want to stay on the fried pork tenderloin, blackberry butter and fried onion lighter side, all the signature biscuits can straws. On the sweet side, the Strawberry & Dash comes be served on a half biscuit or a bed of kale. with whipped Creole cream cheese, strawberries and Sides include a house salad, beignets ABOVE: A “Top Secret Biscuit” was inspired by Elvis, according to Chef Brandon Frohne. powdered sugar, while The Jam is spread with Nutella with coffee dipping sauce, and AlabamaTOP: The atmosphere is eclectic and cool, and raspberry jam. made McEwen and Sons grits with bacon, setting it apart from parent Cracker Barrel. Leading the restaurant’s food-is-fun charge is Chef cheddar cheese, fried eggs and a shot of Brandon Frohne, the company’s director of culinary. He’s hot sauce. got some pretty serious street cred; he’s twice competed on Food Network’s “The biscuit — that’s our little vessel,” Frohne said. “My thing is creativpopular “Chopped” series. He also has cooked at the James Beard House, a ity. I’m such a nerd when it comes to food. I like putting a modern spin on pretty big (and by-invitation-only) deal in the culinary world. the Southern food story. “My family is from Europe,” said Frohne, who lives in Nashville, Tenn. “I want people to experience a flavor they’ve never experienced before.” “I’m a fifth-generation chef. I was raised around good food from an early age. This is what I was born to do.” If you go: Holler & DasH Biscuit House is at Holler & Dash is Frohne’s first venture into fast-casual dining. “Chef-driven has been my thing,” he said. “I’ve always been a daydream1130 university BlvD. visit www.HolleranD er and had big dreams. DasH.com or follow tHe restaurant on I saw the potential in this brand. I want to put forward the best food faceBook, twitter, instagram anD snapcHat. possible with the best ingredients.”

foodie news

Falling for

veggies F

all is here — yay! Football! But summer is over — boo! No more homegrown Sungold tomatoes and other hot-weather fruits and vegetables. But don’t despair. Autumn has its own menu of veggies to choose from. Try these uncomplicated dishes when the temperatures drop. You may want to add some to your Thanksgiving repertoire, but they’re right at home for a casual weeknight dinner.

roaSted BruSSelS SproutS Super Simple Sweet potatoeS This is so easy that I hesitate to call it a recipe. But it’s surprisingly good — and a little unexpected since no marshmallows were harmed in the making of this dish. Ingredients: 8 sweet potatoes 5 ounces goat cheese 3 scallions, chopped 8 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pierce each potato with a fork and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast the potatoes for 45 to 60 minutes, checking occasionally for tenderness. Remove potatoes from the oven and slice them lengthwise. Top each half with a dollop of goat cheese and sprinkle with scallions and pecans.

Once the wallflower at the culinary dance, Brussels sprouts have joined the party and are now on the menu at lots of local restaurants. This dish has become a staple at our family’s Thanksgiving dinner. If you can find baby Brussels sprouts, buy them. Since they don’t require as much cooking time, they get tender without burning — although I kind of like the ones with the most char. Ingredients: 1½ pounds Brussels sprouts 3 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 1 cup walnuts, halved or chopped and toasted Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the sprouts, cutting off the brown ends and removing any tough outer leaves. Cut the sprouts in half if they’re large. Toss them with the olive oil and with salt and pepper to taste. Place the sprouts on a sheet pan and cook about 35 to 40 minutes. Stir the sprouts or shake the pan occasionally. Remove them from the oven when the outsides are crispy and the insides are tender. Remove the sprouts and mix in the walnuts. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 8 servings. This recipe was adapted from one by Ina Garten on www.foodnetwork.com.

foodie news

roasted sPaGhetti squash

Ingredients: Two 1 ½ to 1 ¾ pound spaghetti squash plus toppings (see below) There are two schools of thought on ovenroasting spaghetti squash: to cut or not to cut. And there are positives and negatives to both methods. I think the squash cooks a little more evenly if you cut it in half, remove the seeds and their accompanying stringy matter, brush the cut sides

MushrooM, Leek and Gruyere Bread PuddinG Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 leeks (white and light green parts only), cut into half-moons 10 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, trimmed and sliced Kosher salt and black pepper 3 large eggs 2 cups half-and-half ½ pound country-style bread, cut into 1-inch172

with olive oil, sprinkle on salt and pepper, and roast them for about 35 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees. However, trying to cut a spaghetti squash is a chore, even with a very good knife. A chainsaw would be handy but a tad messy, particularly if it involved dismembered fingers. So I’ve taken to roasting the squash whole for about an hour (you can poke it with a knife to make sure it’s tender) and then cutting it and removing the seeds. Much easier. And if the squash is not quite done when you cut it, just brush olive oil on the two halves and put them back in the oven for a few minutes. Now comes the fun part. Take a fork and start raking the flesh of the squash. It will come apart into “noodles.” It’s like magic and oddly satisfying. Scoop out all your faux pasta. You can toss it with more olive oil or butter and some fresh herbs and cheese (Parmesan works well). You can top it with your favorite marinara sauce or taco filling. You can freestyle it, as I did. I spooned on a very yummy bruschetta mix from World Market with piquillo peppers and artichokes and then added some fresh chopped peppers and onions, grated cheddar and pepperjack cheese, and a little chopped cilantro. Serve the squash on a platter or in a bowl or, for a very tame wow factor, in the now-empty squash shells.

pieces (about five cups) 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (1 cup) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, tossing frequently, until the mushrooms are tender, about 3 to 4 more minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the bread, cheese and mushroom mixture. Mix to combine. Put mixture into an 8-inch or other 2-quart baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake until the edges are set but the center is slightly wobbly, 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned, 20 to 25 minutes more. Sprinkle with the chives. Makes about 8 servings. — Recipe from www.realsimple.com. 39

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the suite life

by Donna cornelius photos by michelle lepianka carter

Downtown boutique caters to stuDents who like to live in style

n the olden days, many college students grabbed a spare quilt and pillow from the family linen closet and, décorwise, called it a day. That was then, and this is now: Young people can be just as design-conscious about their dorm, sorority house or apartment spaces as their mothers are about their living rooms. And often, students’ quests for style and comfort start with their beds. At Suite Space Boutique in downtown Tuscaloosa, owner Delana Roe specializes in custom bedding. The shop also has gifts, including a sorority line. The boutique pops with color and fun, which starts with Roe’s lively personality. She said she loves meeting customers — often students and their moms — who wander into the store or who set up appointments with her. “We can end up talking anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours,” Roe said. She grew up in Trafford, where her family owned a small

TOP: Delana Roe is the owner of Suite Space, a custom bedding boutique that caters to students. ABOVE: A bedding vignette pairs bedding with interchangeable accents and accessories.

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TOP: Fabric samples offer customers the chance to customize their look. RIGHT: Customers can sign up for Suite Boxes, which are delivered monthly and contain five items from the boutique. FAR RIGHT: The shop window along University Boulevard. BOTTOM: Light pink and blue are popular design colors right now, says owner Delana Roe.

grocery store opened by her grandfather in 1964. “I grew up knowing everybody,” she said. “My dates would pick me up at our store, and our family would often have dinner there.” Roe graduated from the University of North Alabama, where she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. She went on to graduate school at the University of Alabama and then taught journalism and advertising classes at Troy University. “I had an interest in teaching and loved it, but I decided I needed to have a career under my belt before I could teach and be a great professor,” she said. “I did some temporary work for Bayer Properties in Birmingham, which owns The Summit. I was supposed to be there for two weeks, and I ended up staying with them for five years. I worked for the general manager of The Summit and learned valuable lessons.” In 2011, she started dating Josh Roe of Hueytown, who’s now her husband. “He was working to get on with the fire department in Tuscaloosa,” she said. “He asked me to look for a job in Tuscaloosa.” She went to work for Cypress Equities, which owns Tuscaloosa’s Midtown Village, as a property manager and later became general manager for Brookwood Village in Birmingham. While she loved her job, driving back and forth to Birmingham was tiring, she said. She’d always wanted her own business, and a retirement party for her parents when they sold the family business helped her decide to go for it. “I remember standing there, watching all these people loving on my family, and thinking that business was God working through my parents with the relationships they built,” Roe said. “Hearing people’s stories about my parents moved me, and my desire to open my own business took a new direction.” Roe started working on a business plan in November 2015. She first showed it to Ashley Callans, who owns Lucca, a Tuscaloosa 42

clothing boutique. Callans liked the plan and told Roe that there was a space available in the same building where Lucca is housed. Roe said finding a good location and getting some exclusive deals with a bedding company were crucial to her final decision to open the business. “I came across Dorm Suite Dorm in Birmingham and asked if they’d be interested in selling their products outside their shop,” she said. “The owner, Sheri Corey, messaged me back right away. I met with her the next week. I said, ‘God, if this isn’t supposed to happen, close this door.’ But Sheri put what I had in mind to negotiate on the table.” Roe also found a sorority-themed line that she loved at an Atlanta gift market.

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ABOVE: Customized sorority-themed bottles in a rainbow of options. RIGHT: No dorm would be complete without a nod to football, as on these elephant and houndstooth towels.

“By February 2016, it was all coming together,” Roe said. “We had a soft opening on May 14 in the middle of the day. I opened after school was out intentionally. My goal was to open before orientations started, and our June blew my expectations out of the water.” Roe said she was used to being in Tuscaloosa as a student, not a business owner, but quickly realized that “Tuscaloosa is a little big town where people still love hospitality and customer service.” “Customer relations is the key for me,” she said. She will house custom orders for customers who live out of state and

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maintains a list of bed and window measurements for dorm rooms, she said. “This fall, we’ll be focusing on residential bedding,” she said. “We’ll add more sophisticated fabric lines.” Suite Space also offers two special services: parties and presents. “Girls can have private parties at their house, a community center or church or here at the boutique,” Roe said. “The host gets 5 percent of the overall sales toward her own bedding.” Parents and others can sign up for Suite Boxes, which include five items from the boutique that are delivered each month to a student. “The box might have a diffuser, sorority or UA-themed items, and pajamas,” Roe said. “There’s a bonus item in the box for the girl’s birthday month. We deliver to sorority houses and dorms or can mail them to apartments or houses.” Roe said that when choosing bedding, she takes a look 44

at colors trending in fashion, on HGTV and in magazines like Seventeen. “Popular colors right now are a rosy light pink and light blues,” she said. She’ll also act as an intermediary between roommates. “Roommates may want to match their bedding or coordinate it,” she said. “A lot of UA students don’t know their roommates. We’ll do FaceTime or Skype with them. “Budget is a big component of making decisions. If a girl feels like she can’t ask her roommate about how much to spend, I’ll have that conversation for her. We have bedding options that are $200 and give you custom pieces. It’s important to me to give girls who don’t have big budgets options and make them feel special.” Roe said she’s grateful to her husband, her parents, family friends who helped with financial support, and a strong network of businesswomen who shared advice. “I’ve opened a store that my college self would be proud of,” she said.

LEFT: Lounge wear and slippers to match any color scheme. TOP RIGHT: Roe is excited to see her dream come together after years of planning and preparing. CENTER AND ABOVE: Fun room accents complement any dorm or apartment.

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entertainment

BM once in a

lue

Moviegoers watch “The Secret Life of Pets” projected onto the original wall screen at Blue Moon Drive-In Theatre in July.

oon

entertainment

drive-in theater has folks pulling up for timeless entertainment since 1956

By kelcey sexton photos By michelle lepianka carter

usic from decades past drifts from the Blue Moon Drive-In Theatre concession stand. The smell of fresh popcorn wafts through the empty aisles that will be filled with the parked cars of moviegoers when the summer sun goes down. A sense of timelessness seems to be embedded in every detail here — one that is amplified when the screens are lit and the credits begin to roll. “It’s an experience other than just watching a movie,” said 38-year-old Chris Curtis, owner of the drive-in. “When (my dad) first came here and (reopened) it, he expected to just be able to get by. He expected not much, but every year, it just seems to get better and better and better, and people give us real good feedback on it. They like coming here. They like to sit out in their car and not be bothered by people. It’s just a different kind of atmosphere.” Guin’s Blue Moon Drive-In — which first opened in 1956 and was reopened in 1996 by Curtis’ father, David Curtis — is home to two massive screens used for projecting two different double features to audiences in two open-field lots, and there are plans to clear land and install a third screen. The front lot is on a hill and able to hold 250 cars >>

TOP: Patrons wait for food and beverages inside the snack bar at Blue Moon Drive-In. ABOVE: Lena Stafford watches “The Secret Life of Pets” with her stepdaughters, D.D. Flake, left, and Nat Woodruff, 2.

where to watch: Blue moon drive-in is at 4728 us-43, guin, al. call: 205-468-8046.

SuBMITTeD phoTo By ChrIS CurTIS

entertainment

Cars line up along the highway to turn into Blue Moon Drive-In.

f you go:

Tickets at the Blue Moon Drive-In are typically $7 for those 12 and older, $4 for ages 6-11 and free for ages 5 and younger. Curtis said the drive-in closes only in December, January and February, for the most part. Movie showings during the summer while school is out are on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. Monday nights are carload nights at the theater, with rates cut to $10 per carload, though Curtis said in the past he’s had to set a limit of eight people per vehicle. When school resumes, the drive-in offers showings on Fridays and Saturdays, unless otherwise announced.

comfortably, whereas the back lot holds about 125 cars. Moviegoers are able to tune in to a designated radio channel for audio from the films. Beth Lindly, 23 and a Tuscaloosa native who now lives in New York, said she visited the drive-in with her church youth group during the summer of 2006 when she was in seventh grade. She and other youth group members saw “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” “It ended up being one of those nights you remember for the rest of your life,” she said. “It was the first time I’d ever done anything like that. I loved it because it kind of felt like such a more intimate experience than seeing it in an actual theater. “It was also just a great night because I ended up loving that movie series, and during one of the biggest scenes towards the end, there was a shooting star off towards the side of the screen,” Lindly said. “It was awesome.” The Blue Moon offers a new experience for some moviegoers and is a spoonful of nostalgia for others as one of the few drive-in theaters still operating in Alabama.

entertainment LEFT: The Wennbergs and Sidonios families wait to watch a movie at the Blue Moon. BELOW: Chris Curtis, owner of Blue Moon Drive-In Theatre, collects admission from vehicles as they enter the drive-in.

“Some towns got lucky and held onto their drive-ins (during the late ’80s and early ’90s), but most of them went under,” Curtis said. Curtis said his 71-year-old father has worked with movies and theaters in some form or another throughout his life. Whether owning several drive-ins or running regular movie theaters, Chris Curtis said his family has “pretty much always been in drive-ins.” “I’ve been around them all my life,” he said. “When I graduated from high school (in 1996 in Waverly, Tenn.), I came here then did different things, but I always come back here. This is what I like doing — the people

and the atmosphere, just everything about it.” The drive-in has come a long way since David Curtis decided to renovate it in 1996. During the 10 years that it sat unused after closing in 1986, it fell into disrepair. The second floor of the concession stand began collapsing due to the weight of its concrete floor, needed to hold up and steady the heavy 35 mm film projectors. Chris Curtis said his father had to raise it back up with beams on the first floor of the concession stand. Curtis said then, you couldn’t see the movie screen from the ground floor concession stand because the foliage around it had grown up so much. There were also massive holes in the parking lots that needed to be filled because of rainwater washing the dirt away. “He deserves all the credit, because he pretty much did all of this by himself,” Curtis said of his father and getting the drive-in running again. “Every dime he’d make, he’d put more into it.” David Curtis continues to help with the Blue Moon Drive-In despite health issues and runs the box office each weekend. As for the rest of the work, Chris Curtis handles most of that on his own. “There’s a lot more (to do) than people think about,” Curtis said. “It’s a 24-hour day.” Especially during summer — the busiest time of the year for the theater — the job is time-consuming, even with help, he said. He has to make sure that the aisles >> 49

entertainment

THIS PAGE: Patrons sit on lawn chairs or in their vehicles at the Blue Moon waiting for the feature to begin.

of gravel are free of potholes and suitable for cars, and that trash is picked up before and after screenings. He also checks on visitors before and during showings to make sure everything is running smoothly. Other duties include ordering concession supplies and keeping them stocked; making sure the digital projectors are running without issue; and calling film companies on Mondays to book movies to show, sometimes weeks in advance, and to let the company know which films the theater wants to keep showing. The switch from 35 mm film to digital has freed up time for Curtis to be able to take care of more. In the past, preparing the six reels of film to show on either the front or back screen was an all-day affair. Now, he said, it takes only about an hour or two to download the film from the hard drive to the projector and have it ready to show. The method for securing films to show, though, has remained the same since he took ownership of the theater: researching and predicting the popularity and success of films with audiences. This often includes Curtis taking to Facebook, the theater’s main source of advertisement, to ask fans of the Blue Moon what upcoming movies they’d be the most interested in seeing. “We’re trying to please the most amount of people we can, so that’s basically where it’s at — what’s going to make the most money,” he said. “So that’s what I research the most.” The weekend “Finding Dory” hit theaters, the Blue Moon Drive-In was packed to the brim. Curtis said

entertainment he put up a vote on the theater’s Facebook page between the sequel to “Finding Nemo” and “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Votes for “Dory” obliterated the sci-fi sequel. With help, he said he was able to jam 400 cars into the front lot to meet the demand of moviegoers at the soldout showing. Even after fitting in 400 cars, a stream of cars holding people who wanted to get in to see “Dory” during the second showing of the night lined the highway. Past events at Blue Moon have included a Retro Night, where Curtis showed “American Graffiti” and “Psycho,” and the proceeds went toward St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as well as a kid’s night last year for Halloween. “We had games and everything set up (for Halloween), and that (went) over really well, even though it rained all weekend,” Curtis said of last year’s event, which included trunk-or-treating. “So I plan on doing that again this year and being more prepared for it.” He said he plans to show a movie, too. “I hope it doesn’t rain, because it went over just as well as anything we’d ever done,” he said. “People really liked it and enjoyed it.”

BELOW: Grayson Armstrong, 2, peers out the sunroof while waiting to watch “The Secret Life of Pets” with his mother, Jenny, at Blue Moon Drive-In. BOTTOM: Vehicles fill the parking lot before the show at the drive-in.

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good deeds

the

Emma

project

foundation honorS the life and Spirit of emma kate joneS, while Bringing comfort and peace to grieving parentS

By Stephanie taylor photoS By michelle lepianka carter

mma Kate Jones lived a short life, but her generous spirit and kind nature will be remembered for a long time. Part of that is because her mother, April Jones, has started a nonprofit foundation in her name. The Emma Project Memorial Foundation will fund different endeavors in the community that would have meant something to Emma. Emma Kate, 11, was killed in a car crash near Munny Sokol Park in Tuscaloosa in August 2015, just days after she started sixth grade at Hillcrest Middle School. The outpouring of support from across Tuscaloosa soon made it clear that Emma had made an impact on many with her positive attitude and habit of making sure none of her classmates ever felt excluded or bullied. As she worked through the first few months of what will be lifelong grief, Jones decided to start The Emma Foundation. She said that doing good work in her daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name has helped with the grieving process. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It keeps me busy, but also gives me an outlet for this intense need

>> 53

good deeds

LEFT: Avery Jones and her mother, April, in the bedroom Avery shared with her sister, Emma. PREVIOUS PAGE: Avery holds a polished stone meant for a packet for grieving families.

good deeds that I have to be a mother to Emma,” she said. “I have three children, but only two here on Earth. I can see them every day and hug and kiss them and take care of them, but I can’t do any of that for Emma. “As a mother, that need doesn’t just go away, so this is what I have to do for her instead of the normal, everyday things.” A bass fishing tournament in September will raise money for the foundation and is expected to become an annual event. Jones says she wants to plan an event to take place in the spring, such as a 5K run or a family picnic, to raise funds. Money raised through the foundation will be used for programs at Englewood Elementary, including the GATE (Gifted and Talented Education), library, art and special education. “We want to do things that Emma would be excited about; that’s my focus,” Jones said. Jones wants to set up a fund at the school to help children who can’t afford field trips and other activities or supplies. There are plans to paint a mural at the school in memory of Emma.

April Jones, her son, Lance, and her daughter, Avery, fill funeral home packets at Jones’ home to give other parents who have lost children.

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“Emma always wanted everybody included. She didn’t leave anybody out; she was really good about standing up for her friends,” Jones said. “She knew no bounds when it came to friendships, so it would mean a lot to be a part of that.”

“As The Emma Project grows, I’d like to branch out and start including other schools in this as well, but right now we’re focused on Englewood because Emma loved that school and spent three years of her life there.” Jones also wants to use some of the money to buy playground equipment for an all-inclusive playground planned for Sokol Park that will be accessible to kids of all ages and abilities. “Emma always wanted everybody included. She didn’t leave anybody out; she was really good about standing up for her friends,” Jones said. “She knew no bounds when it came to friendships, so it would mean a lot to be a part of that.” Jones is working with funeral homes to put together packets for families that include resources, gifts and encouraging words to support them as they begin grieving the loss of a child. The care packages include information that helped her through the most difficult times, online links to support groups, photo frame key chains and gift cards that families can use to print photos of their lost child. 56

TOP: emma Kate jones, whose spirit lives on in the foundation created in her memory. LEFT: emma Kate jones, right, with her sister avery, left, and baby brother, lance.

photos courtesy of the jones family

good deeds

April Jones, son, Lance, and daughter, Avery, work together preparing materials to give to other parents who have lost children.

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good deeds

“I want people to remember Emma the way she was - silly, fun-loving, messy, off-the-wall, creative, smart, kind-hearted and so many other things,” Jones said.

ABOVE: Emma Kate Jones and her mother, April Jones. RIGHT: A letter April wrote to families experiencing the loss of a child. TOP RIGHT: Inspiration stones that will be placed into the family packets.

“I have found that simply knowing there are others who understand my pain has been one of the most helpful things for me. I hope it will be for these families as well, as these packets are a way I can reach out and just let them know that I’m here and ‘I get it,’ ” she said. Hillcrest Middle School recently presented a student with the Emma Jones Friendship Award, created to honor students who share her qualities. The winner of the award each year will be a student who finds the good in others, shows positivity and cheerfulness, goes out of his or her way to help others and promotes anti-bullying speech and actions. Jones said that while she can’t take a tragedy like the loss of her daughter and turn it positive, she does hope that she can make something good come from it. She wants to continue the love and kindness that her daughter showed others during her life. “I want people to remember Emma the way she was — silly, funloving, messy, off-the-wall, creative, smart, kind-hearted and so many other things,” Jones said. “She wasn’t perfect, but she didn’t want to be and didn’t expect it from anyone else, either. She loved people just as they were.”

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cover story

From left, Jordan Lupoi, Casey Pruitt, Ali Napier, Terry Saban, Connie Burns, Danielle Key, Cissy Cochran (seated) Alaea Ansley and Jessica Cristobal at the Saban home. Hair and makeup provided by TL Signature Salon. Lupoi, Key and Cristobalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gowns provided by Part Two.

COVER STORY

first of ladies FOOTBALL A PRINCIPAL PART OF ‘THE PROCESS’

cover story

photo | kent gidley

By Donna Cornelius photos By miChelle lepianka Carter

here’s no course at the University of Alabama called “How to be a Football Coach’s Wife 101.” But the women who are married to UA assistant coaches need look no further than their boss’ wife to learn the ropes. Terry Saban, the wife of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, enters a room and commands it with her warm, I-never-meet-a-stranger personality. She’s free with smiles and hugs. When she talks to you, she looks you in the eye and listens. “People ask me, ‘How do you do it? You’re living in a fishbowl, and your husband is always gone,’” she said. “But we’ll be married 45 years in December; I was 19 when we got married. I’ve never known anything else.” Although she’s become accustomed to the lifestyle that comes with being married to a successful coach of a high-profile program, she realizes that it can be hard on families, particularly when children are involved. “The hardest day of the week is Sunday,” Terry said. “You grind all week and then have the emotion of Saturday. You want to sleep, to go to church, to be with your family — but you can’t.” She wanted to find a way to give the assistant coaches’ families some time together and said she asked her husband if they could all get together for Sunday dinner. “He said, ‘No! We’ll be watching film,’” she said, smiling at the memory. “I asked, ‘Why can’t we be there with you?’ So we started getting together here. The kids can come in their PJs, and the wives can give their husbands a kiss goodnight. Nick looks forward to it. You do what you can within the confines of the schedule.” That schedule changes throughout the year as coaches move through the football season and right into the grueling process of recruiting. “When you’re an assistant coach, there’s a lot of grunt work, of being on the road recruiting,” she said. “The rules are such now that the burden is on the assistant coaches. The assistant coaches don’t get enough credit.” Assistant coaches’ wives are crucial to their husbands’ success — and thus to the success of the football program, Terry said. “It’s important for the coaches to have a happy home life, to have a little peace and quiet,” she said. “The program needs us.” Her husband considers his assistants’ wives so important that they’re part of his hiring process. “Everybody somewhat dreads when a coach leaves,” Terry said. “When Nick hires a new coach, it’s lengthy and time-consuming. You can’t leave any rock unturned. “Their wives are equally important. A supportive wife can make the difference, not only by taking care of the home, bills and children but also by having a huge TOP LEFT: terry Saban is heavily involved in every aspect of the Alabama football experience, from hiring to charity to supporting the other coaches’ families. LEFT: the Saban family, from left: Adam and kristen Setas; nick and terry Saban holding Amélie; and kélse and nicholas Saban.

cover story responsibility in the program and being supportive of her husband’s little group of players. We count on our coaches’ wives to help parents feel comfortable. “Hiring is a major process. The final thing is that the wife has to come into an interview. We have them to dinner. That’s the make or break. Their participation, their support — some women aren’t cut out for it. That can be the dealbreaker.” Terry takes seriously her own responsibilities. She’s heavily invested and involved in the Nick’s Kids Foundation, the Sabans’ official charity. The foundation has distributed more than $6 million to organizations and charitable causes since it started in 1998 when Nick Saban was head coach at Michigan State University. “Nick’s Kids has grown so much,” Terry said. “I spend two days a week opening letters, answering requests for signed footballs. Seventy-five percent of the footballs to sign are for charities or someone who’s sick.” There’s so much time involved just with autographing footballs that she laughingly refers to her dining room as the “signing room.” “It’s a big responsibility to be in the public eye, to take your position and be a positive force,” she said. The UA assistant coaches’ wives turn out for Nick’s Kids events like working on a Habitat for Humanity house, Terry said. But she doesn’t want them to feel pressured to support a particular cause. “I invite them to get involved in the community,” she said, emphasizing the word invite. “I’m proud when they find their own things to support.” She started her own special project to benefit hungry kids in Tuscaloosa area schools. “When we travel to away games, there’s so much food on the plane — bags of sandwiches and candy — and then we’re served another meal,” she said. “Coming home, we get another bag of food. I watched a lot of food go to waste.” She worked with UA administrators and flight attendants to put the uneaten and unopened food to good use. It’s now taken to elementary schools and distributed to students who need it. “The players know now that ‘Miss Terry’ is collecting this,” she said. “School counselors keep the food in their offices for kids who need it, and the children know it came from the team plane.” Many of the Alabama assistant coaches’ wives said one of the best things about their

ABOVE: University of Alabama coaches’ wives and volunteers work on landscaping outside a Habitat For Humanity House in April. The house is the 16th built by the Nick’s Kids Foundation and commemorates the University of Alabama’s 16th National Championship. LEFT: UA Quarterback Jake Coker hugs Terry Saban after Alabama’s 45-40 victory over Clemson in the College Football National Championship game in the University of Phoenix Stadium in January.

roles is meeting people and forming relationships with them. It’s the same for Terry Saban. “We were at our lake house in Georgia, and Nick got a call from Hugh Freeze,” she said. The Ole Miss head football coach was bringing his whole family to the lake and wanted some advice about what to see and do. “We saw them, the kids played, and we took them to dinner,” Terry said. “We’re all friends. We’ll all be there for each other. On the field, the rules are all about the game. Everybody wants to win. But you let all that go when you’re together at an SEC conference or at the lake.” The Saban family recently has gotten bigger. Nick and Terry’s son, Nicholas Jr., and his wife, Kélse, have a daughter, 2 ½-year-old Amélie. The young family lives in Birmingham, where Nick Jr. works at Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham, a dealership in which his parents are partners. “Kélse is a fabulous mother and daughterin-law,” Terry Saban said. Their daughter, Kristen, is married to Adam Setas. The couple also lives in Birmingham. “Adam is with Merrill Lynch in Mountain

Brook,” Terry said. “He’s a wonderful young man who is from East Lansing, Mich., and we knew his family.” Kristen’s wedding last June was a festive event. “If I’d had Kristen’s wedding in Michigan, it might not have been so over the top,” Terry said. “In the South, everything is taken up a notch when it comes to pageantry. When we came from Michigan State to LSU and I was having my first party, one woman asked, ‘Where are your fresh flowers?’ In Michigan, I’d run to the store in my jeans. Not here.” She said her daughter’s wedding was “like a family reunion.” “We got our cheerleaders to do a dance, and they built a pyramid in their cocktail dresses,” she said. Big Al, UA’s mascot, was on hand, too. “It was a fun way to blend in football,” she said. Terry Saban appreciates firsthand the demands of being a coach’s wife — but she’s not the only one in her family who does. “At Christmas, we get all the coaches a gift,” she said. “We have a party at Nick’s office. He calls the wives in, and it’s just him and the wives. He says, ‘I just want to thank you,’ and he hands each one a gift that he picked out himself.” 63

cover story

Meet the First Ladies ... C

issy Cochran was a collegiate swimmer. Ali Napier and Jessica Cristobal both have identical twins. And Connie Burns has a

wicked sense of humor. Those are just a few of the things we learned about the wives of the University of Alabama’s assistant football coaches. These women are fascinating, fun, friendly — and very familiar with football and all that comes with it. We think you’ll enjoy meeting them as much as we did.

Alaea Ansley

Hometown: Jackson Your husband’s name: Derrick Ansley His position: Defensive backs coach How we met: We both attended Troy University and met there in a computer class. Other family members: Daughter Selena, 3 What I do: I’m a stay-at-home mom and like crafting and decorating. What’s the best thing about being married to a football coach? For me, seeing Derrick live his dream is awesome. He loves what he does. What’s the hardest thing about being married to a football coach? The time they have to put in and having to be away from each other. What’s the most exciting, funniest or most harrowing experience you’ve had as a football coach’s wife? The most exciting thing has been coming back to Alabama. We’d been in Tennessee and Kentucky. We loved coming home to this university, which has given us so much. Derrick got his graduate degree here. It’s such an exciting time. What’s something most people don’t know about you? When I was working in public relations, my company made trips to Costa Rica and San Juan and interacted with children there. It was awesome.

Cissy Cochran

Hometown: Augusta, Ga. Your husband’s name: Scott Cochran His position: Strength and conditioning coach How we met: He was my strength coach at LSU. We met my senior year. Our first date was when I got back from the NCAA (swimming) championships. Other family members: Children Beau, 9; Savannah, 7; and Lucy, 5. Dog, What I do: I take care of our three children. My hobbies are swimming and running. I swim with the UA Masters Team, a group of retired swimmers who come back to practice. 64

What’s the best thing about being married to a football coach? Just the people that you meet — the players and the coaches and staff members and their wives. I feel like my kids have had good experiences meeting players. A lot of players come back to see us. What’s the hardest thing about being married to a football coach? Football season can be calming, because you know what to expect. But it can be hard to adjust to the different schedules throughout the year. What’s the most exciting, funniest or most harrowing experience you’ve had as a football coach’s wife? This year for the national championship game in Arizona, I got a stomach bug the day before we were supposed to leave. The team was flying out together at 11. Scott said, “There’s no way you can get on that plane.” I thought that was sweet and said, “Thanks for thinking of me.” He said, “No — there’s no way you can infect the players.” I went know about you? I swam in college for LSU and on a later plane with a mask on. qualified for the Olympics trials. I swam in the trials What’s something most people don’t in 2000 in the 200-meter breaststroke.

Connie Burns

Hometown: New Orleans Your husband’s name: Burton Burns His position: Running backs and special teams coach How we met: We knew each other in high school, but we didn’t start dating until he graduated. Other family members: Children Amber, Christy, Damon and Erin. Amber is married to Sylvester Anderson, and they’re the parents of our grandchildren, Kendal, who’s 3½, and Braylon, who’s 2. What I do: I’m retired. I worked for 30 years with the Ford Motor Credit Co. Now, I volunteer at Central Elementary. Also, I’m taking up tennis. What’s the best thing about being married to a football coach? The free tickets and parking pass! No, seriously, I enjoy watching my husband love what he does. I’ve always said from very early on that this profession is not just what he does. It’s what he is. What’s the hardest thing about being married to a football coach? It’s when there’s something beyond his control. It tears at him, whether it’s something to do with a player or a situation. He’ll spend a lot of sleepless nights worrying about his guys. He doesn’t stop until he gets the best out of them. What’s the most exciting, funniest or most harrowing experience you’ve had as a football coach’s wife? My husband coached high school for several years before he went to the college level. We had lost in the semifinals of the state championship, and he takes losses very hard. We were late decorating for Christmas that year, and we had gotten the last Christmas tree on the lot. It didn’t fit. He took it out on the lawn and started sawing it with a vengeance. The kids were yelling, “Daddy’s killing the tree!” Fast forward to the next summer: I was at a pool party with the

kids and was telling a friend about it and laughing and saying that he had scarred my kids for life. A reporter was sitting there and wrote about how my husband took that loss out on our poor Christmas tree. What’s something most people don’t know about you? My children and grandchildren are my greatest reward. They’re my pride and joy.

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cover story

Jessica Cristobal

Danielle Key

Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla. Your husband’s name: Brent Key His position: Offensive line coach How we met: We both worked at our last school and met through a mutual friend. We were friends for five years before we went on our first date. Other family members: Bear, our golden retriever. What I do: Brent and I joke that I’m his life coach. I try to keep life in order. And I’m learning how to play golf. What’s the best thing about being married to a football coach? The excitement of the season and all the activities. You feel like you’re part of something. What’s the hardest thing about being married to a football coach? A little bit of the unknown every year. Are you going to be in the same place or moving? Also, the multiple schedules throughout the year. What’s the most exciting, funniest or most harrowing experience you’ve had as a football coach’s wife? We’ve had some pretty good highs — and some pretty bad lows when we got fired. We were coming off a difficult time and fell into the best situation possible here. What’s something most people don’t know about you? I have a master’s degree in mass communication from the University of Central Florida. I worked in sports marketing at UCF for six years.

Hometown: Atlanta/Miami Your husband’s name: Mario Cristobal His position: Assistant head coach/tackles and tight ends/recruiting coordinator How we met: At the grand opening event of the Victor Hotel in Miami Beach. Other family members: Sons Mario Mateo, 6½, and Rocco, 5 What I do: I am the president and founder of Leading Ladies League, a social organization that assists women and children in the community. I also recently launched a company called Figure Flatter. We import and sell very high quality, Colombian-made waist trainers and shapewear for women. What’s the best thing about being married to a football coach? We live an exciting life! It is nonstop, unpredictable, fast-paced and at times intense, but we really value any time we spend together. What’s the hardest thing about being married to a football coach? The time apart. For about six to eight months out of the year, we rarely see each other in the daylight hours. It’s especially difficult on the kids. The wives really have to be alpha females and do whatever it takes to manage the family in all aspects. What’s the most exciting, funniest or most harrowing experience you’ve had as a football coach’s wife? The most exciting thing was winning the national championship this past year. Once that confetti falls, you know something very special has just happened. Moments like those make all the hard work, sacrifices and time apart worth it. What’s something most people don’t know about you? I was born in Germany, and I have an identical twin sister.

cover story

Jordan Lupoi

Hometown: Seattle Your husband’s name: Tosh Lupoi His position: Co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach How we met: Tosh was working at the University of Washington in Seattle. My younger brother was playing on the team at the time and introduced us. We got married July 3 of this year. Other family members: Kato, an Italian mastiff. What I do: I enjoy running and anything active. I love being outdoors and spending time with friends and family. I work part time at Mobley and Sons and Canterbury Clothiers; it’s fun to interact with people I meet there. What’s the best thing about being married to a football coach? I really enjoy meeting all the different people, including the players and recruits and their families. I love seeing my husband be so passionate about what he does. What’s the hardest thing about being married to a football coach? The unconventional schedule and not seeing very much of him. Time off is rare. What’s the most exciting, funniest or most harrowing experience you’ve had as a football coach’s wife? The most exciting thing was winning the national championship this past year. That’s been a career goal for my husband, and it was great to see it fulfilled. What’s something most people don’t know about you? My dad was a college football coach. I grew up in that world.

Ali Napier

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Hometown: Gainesville, Ga. Your husband’s name: Billy Napier His position: Wide receivers coach How we met: At Furman University. He was the quarterback. He lived with one of my best guy friends. Other family members: Children Annie, 4, and Sammy, 2 (in October). No. 3 is due this fall. What I do: I’m about to have three kids under 4! And I love running; that’s how I keep my sanity. What’s the best thing about being married to a football coach? Definitely all the special people you meet. You move around so much, meeting new people and exploring different areas of the country. With other coaches’ wives, they get it; you always have a support system you can count on no matter where you are. What’s the hardest thing about being married to a football coach? Having them gone so much. It’s especially hard when you have children. They wake up and say, “Where’s Daddy?” and you tell them he’s at work. They go to bed and ask, and you tell them the same thing. It’s a year-round commitment. What’s the most exciting, funniest or most harrowing experience you’ve had as a football coach’s wife? The birth of our son in 2014. He was born in October on the Wednesday before an away game. My husband almost missed the whole thing. He got there 10 minutes before Sammy was born and left an hour after. The medical staff was amazed that he didn’t stay longer, but I was just glad he made it. Child No. 3 is due the day of the Alabama-Auburn game. What’s something most people don’t know about you? I have an identical twin sister, Jenny, who lives in Charleston. We both married men named William. And I love to cook and play cards and board games.

Casey Pruitt

Hometown: Banks. It’s near Troy. Your husband’s name: Jeremy Pruitt His position: Defensive coordinator How we met: We were both working at Florida State. Other family members: Children Jayse, 20, and Ridge, 1. We have two rescue dogs: Gabby, a Maltese, and Tia, a mutt. What I do: I’m a stay-at-home mom. I volunteer a lot. I’m big in 4-H and also foster dogs and volunteer at the animal shelter. I’m active with my sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, and I paint a lot. What’s the best thing about being married to a football coach? The relationships you get to have with players, recruits and other coaches’ wives. What’s the hardest thing about being married to a football coach? Getting to experience things without your husband there, like the first step and the first words your baby has. I feel like I’ve become a great videographer! What’s the most exciting, funniest or most harrowing experience you’ve had as a football coach’s wife? The most exciting thing is getting to see all your husband’s hard work pay off. What’s something most people don’t know about you? I used to work in compliance in college athletics. I have a master’s degree in English literature and taught high school English.

cover story

Sheila Williams

A beAutiful brunch Terry Saban teamed up with Edgar’s Bakery to host a feast When Terry Saban hosted brunch for our photo shoot at her house, it had all the excitement of a game-day gathering — and lots of elegance, too. Terry chose Edgar’s Bakery, which has locations in Tuscaloosa and throughout the Birmingham area, to create “healthy options but also bitesized sweets for a little indulgence,” said Edgar’s owner Dottie Smith. “Miss Terry designed our menu,” Dottie said. “She requested that we make the brunch special for the ladies so every aspect of their day would be glamorous.” Several serving pieces came from the Sabans’ collection. Terry’s antique silver tray held champagne glasses for a mimosa bar, and her lovely candelabrum made a perfect vase for a fresh flower arrangement. “We used a mixture of vintage small

photo by gary cosby jr.

Hometown: Detroit Your husband’s name: Bobby Williams His position: Special assistant to the head coach How we met: I was teaching at my old high school, Mackenzie in Detroit. Coach Williams was coaching at Eastern Michigan University at the time. On signing day, I was on hall duty when Coach Williams saw me and decided to ask our head coach about “Ms. Lee.” Other family members: Son, Nick; and daughter, Nataly. What I do: During football season, you can find me stressing on game day with my head in prayer in the stadium or alone in front of the TV during away games, muting out the announcers. On recruiting weekends, I can be visiting with potential players and their families, showing them our Alabama hospitality. What’s the best thing about being married to a football coach? I glow with pride when my husband gets texts or Facebook messages from a former player who says, “I’m a better husband and father because of you, coach.” What’s the hardest thing about being married to a football coach? I’ve experienced being a young mother raising babies, then having to pack up our home with two teens and move to a state that I knew nothing about. Nataly attended three different high schools. But you adapt — and the kids adapt, and they grow into being compassionate young adults. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that adversity is God’s way to test your faith. Only then will you stay humble and grateful to receive the grace of the next opportunity. What’s the most exciting, funniest or most harrowing experience you’ve had as a football coach’s wife? Last season, Alabama was playing in the national championship game and Nicholas’ team, Jacksonville State, was competing in the national championship game in its conference two days before. I thought I’d gotten that stress level down, but being a coach’s wife and a coach’s

mother — it doubles my gray hair! What’s something most people don’t know about you? I’m a shoe connoisseur. On game days, I get dressed from the feet up. That’s my game-day routine, and that’s how I roll!

plates, and Miss Terry’s set of elegant silver flatware tied the brunch tablescape together beautifully,” Dottie said. Glass pedestals were a combination of old and new. “We had two family heirloom 1930 Fostoria cake stands set atop crystal cake plateaus from Switzerland,” Dottie said. On the menu were mini blueberry muffins made with fresh wild blueberries and banana nut muffins with fresh ripened bananas and Alabama pecans. Three made-from-scratch quiches — vegetable, spinach pesto, and ham and cheese — had fresh butter tart crusts. Petit fours came in strawberry, classic vanilla, chocolate ganache, and Edgar’s house-made caramel-frosted version. Terry Saban said Edgar’s “does a fabulous job with last-minute or wellplanned party events.” “They also serve our players many meals at the football office,” she said. “At this wives’ event, nothing was wasted. The wives each took a snack bag home with them, so I was left with a few delicious treats, which I enjoyed later in the day.” 69

education

Alabama Astrobotics team member Caleb Leslie assembles an autonomous collection robot in the robotics lab at the University of Alabama.

BamaBoT after a win at a nasa robotics competition, the alabama astrobotics team prepares to compete for more than $1m in the next level by ed enoch | photos by gary cosby jr.

he Alabama Astrobotics team at the University of Alabama has advanced to the second phase of NASA’s Sample Return Robot Challenge, a citizen inventor prize program meant to advance technologies that will help enable exploration of Mars and beyond. “This one has been so hard, no one has won it,” said Kenneth Ricks, a UA associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and a team adviser. Two teams in the past four years have advanced to the second phase, Ricks said. This year, seven teams advanced, including the Alabama team, which hadn’t competed before. Though the team of about 40 UA and Shelton State

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phoToS ThiS pAge pRovided by NASA

education

Community College students was competing for the first time with the first iteration of its robot design, it brings a wealth of experience to the challenge with its history of competition in similar NASA events, said Ricks, whose research interests include autonomous navigation. Caleb Leslie, a graduate student in electrical engineering and a team leader, has participated on the astrobotics team for four years. Leslie worked on the electrical and computer systems for the robot. “Working on this project is what pulled me into graduate school,” he said. Alabama Astrobotics was the first team in the fiveyear history of the challenge to successfully advance to Level 2 on its first try. The team’s robot also completed the challenge the fastest, clocking in at 6 minutes and 15 seconds. Eighteen teams competed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., in June for the first phase. Each winning team was awarded $5,000 and was set to compete in Level 2 of the competition on Sept. 2-5 at WPI. The teams had the opportunity to win all or a share of the remaining $1.36 million as part

TOP LEFT AND RIGHT: The Alabama Astrobotics team members look over their coding before attempting Level 1 at NASA’s Sample Return Robot Challenge. ABOVE: The team loads its robot onto the starting platform.

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education of the Centennial Challenges prize program, which is managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. “The teams have impressed us this year, and these are the best Level 1 results we have seen in the history of this competition,” said Monsi Roman, program manager of Centennial Challenges, in a statement released by NASA. The sample return competition is much more complex than previous events in which the team has participated, Ricks said. The Alabama team has competed for years in the NASA Robotic Mining Competition at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an annual event to build a robot capable of navigating a simulated Martian surface and excavating regolith, a layer of loose surface material that covers a solid rock. In May, the team won the top prize for a second year in a row using a different robot, which relied on a combination of autonomous operation and human control. The challenge for the teams in Level 1 of the sample return competition was to field robots that can autonomously locate, collect and return samples to the starting point. Each robot had to return two known samples within 30 minutes without human control or the aid of Earth-based technologies, such as GPS.

ABOVE: Alabama Astrobotics team member Caleb Leslie works on the hardware of the team’s autonomous sample collection robot in the robotics lab at the University of Alabama in June. The team is preparing for the second phase of the NASA autonomous robotics competition. BELOW: The team works on its robot between runs at Level 1, which was held in June at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass.

PhoTo ProvIded by NASA

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ABOVE: Judges inspect the robot during a Level 1 attempt. RIGHT: A team member looks on as the robot attempts to pick up samples without human control.

“Everything is autonomous. We are literally able to hit a start button,” Ricks said. “It must be programmed to make all those decisions on the fly.” While the mining competition takes place in an arena roughly 24 feet by 24 feet, the first phase of the sample return takes place in a space that’s equivalent to about a third of a football field, Ricks said. “It has got to be able to figure out where it is in its world,” Ricks said. “We call that localization. It’s got to figure it out on its own.” The robots must be able to navigate from a beacon, representing its starting or landing site, and landmarks it identifies. The robots also must be able to identify samples, pick them up with a robotic arm and confirm they have been successfully stored. The samples gathered by the UA robot will be stored in a carousel mounted on its top with separate cells to prevent crosscontamination of samples. In Level 2, the teams will face more difficult mission requirements. Over an area about the size of the UA Quad, the robots must locate up to 10 unknown samples that vary in size, shape and difficulty within a two-hour limit, Ricks said. The samples, which vary in point value, are classified as easy, intermediate and hard. While the teams will be familiar beforehand with the easy samples, the intermediate and hard samples will remain mysteries until the time of competition, Ricks said. The UA team will have to program its robot

education

for the samples on site. The robot uses cameras capable of discerning colors and LIDAR, a light detection and ranging sensor that uses a pulsed laser to measure ranges, navigate terrain and obstacles, and identify samples. The field of view the robot uses to evaluate the terrain and samples is about 5 feet wide. The sensors are capable of collecting data farther away, but the distance makes it less useful, Ricks said. The robot must process this data while moving. The challenge for the team as it prepares to compete again in the fall is writing the programs to help the robot filter out the useful data from its sensors and use it to make intelligent decisions about navigation and sample collection. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are really spending a lot of time (this summer) on the algorithms,â&#x20AC;? Ricks said. Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: At the time of production, the team was preparing for Level 2, which is scheduled to take place during the printing of this issue. To find out how the team fared, visit www.nasa.gov/robot.

TOP: The robot that will compete for more than $1 million sits in the UA robotics lab. ABOVE: Judges and teammates look on at Level 1 as the robot prepares to pick up a sample. For Level 2, it will have the chance to pick up as many as 10 samples to qualify for prize money.

team spirit

All she wants to do is

dance! by roots woodruff photos by michelle lepianka carter and gary cosby jr.

the women of ua’s crimson cabaret dance team bring spirit, pride and athleticism to every game

very time the Crimson Cabaret performs, countless little girls in the crowd dream of one day joining the ranks of the University of Alabama’s dance team. Hannah Sheffield, a Tuscaloosa native and dancer since the age of 2, was one of those little girls, falling in love with Alabama and the Crimson Cabaret from the time she could walk, or more to the point, dance. “I was born and raised here,” Sheffield said. “My mom and dad used to take me to a ton of games. I’d watch the girls and I fell in love. It was always a dream of mine to be on the team.” She had her chance to make that dream come true in the spring of her senior year at Hillcrest High School when she, and more than 80 other dancers, converged on Tuscaloosa the weekend of the A-Day game, the Crimson Tide’s annual spring football scrimmage. “It was very nerve-racking,” Sheffield said. “You’re going in and competing against 80 girls for one of 16 spots, but I knew if I could shine and stand out that I could make the team.” The chance to blend her lifetime of dance experience with her love for Alabama and its athletics teams came together that weekend in 2013, and for the little girl who grew up down the street from Coleman Coliseum, a dream came

LEFT: Crimson Cabaret dancer Paige McRae performs with teammates Rebekah Gaither, left, and Alexsa Dietrich. ABOVE: Dance team members during rehearsal.

true. She won a spot on the team, becoming part of the dance troupe that performs across a wide spectrum of Crimson Tide events, with a main focus on Alabama men’s and women’s basketball games. Like Sheffield, McKenzie Sherman grew up with a deep-seated passion for dance, but her

team spirit

Head instructor Marion Powell, standing at right, leads the team through stretches at practice.

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team spirit path to the Crimson Cabaret was a little different. She grew up in Hanover, Pa., and didn’t really know much about Alabama or the Crimson Tide until a friend and fellow dancer told her about the Crimson Cabaret. “I came (to Alabama) mostly for the dance program,” Sherman said. “I had heard about the university from a friend who was on the dance team at the time, and I just really liked the draw the university had connecting academics to athletics and the fact that they valued dancers as athletes as well was really appealing to me.” A dancer since she was 4, Sherman came down for a visit and subsequently went through the audition process, which includes three rounds: two on the first day and a final round on the second. “When I came and visited the first time, I completely fell in love with the campus and university itself,” Sherman said. “Going to the audition in that April of my senior year, I made the team and there were no doubts after that. I knew that Alabama was where I wanted to be.” Each new team starts with the auditions, which are held on A-Day weekend so that those auditioning and their families can get a glimpse into what Tide pride is all about. Marion Powell, the Crimson Cabaret’s coach, has seen interest in the team grow over the past several years to the point that this past April, auditions drew nearly 100 dancers from 26 states. “As the University of Alabama has grown over the last few years and drawn students from all over the country, our auditions have grown as well,” Powell said. During auditions, dancers who make it to the second day learn routines in the three different styles the Cabaret performs

BELOW AND BOTTOM: Members of the Crimson Cabaret dance team rehearse in a room in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

team spirit during the year: jazz, hip-hop and pom. While the first two styles are widely known, pom is largely the domain of dancers associated with athletics. “Pom is kind of a mixture between dance and cheerleading motions,” Sherman said. “It’s very hard-hitting and high-energy. That’s what we’ve competed in the last two years when we’ve gone to UDA Nationals in Orlando, Fla. We’ve gotten pretty good as a team at competing in pom.”

ABOVE: A Crimson Cabaret dancer interacts with students after a performance at the Phelps Center. OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: Dancer Paige McRaie and other team members talk with students. OPPOSITE PAGE, BELOW: Dancers perform jump splits during the performance.

onsistently a top-10 program at the University Dance Association National Championships held in January each year, the Crimson Cabaret never loses sight of its primary mission. “There are schools whose programs focus solely on competition,” Powell said. “For us, while we want to compete well and we try very hard, we also have to remember that the other 98 percent of our time is for our athletics events, and supporting the Crimson Tide.” That’s why, when putting together their team each year, Powell and company are looking for dancers who are not only well-versed in the three styles, but who also bring strong acrobatic skills to the floor. Beyond the physical skills, the Crimson Cabaret thrives on dancers who possess that “it” factor. “We’re looking for someone who has a great presence on the court, someone who can smile,

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team spirit

project and be very spirited during a routine,” Powell said. “It takes a very talented girl. It also takes someone who loves Alabama and wants to be out there cheering for the University of Alabama. That’s the main thing; we want to entertain and support the athletics department and our teams.” That spirit and a love for Alabama are traits Powell has exemplified since her days as an undergraduate at UA when she was a member of the Crimsonettes, the twirlers that perform with the Million Dollar Band. She went on to become the Crimsonettes’ coach in 1978, and when the Crimson Cabaret separated from UA’s cheerleading group in 2004, Powell became their coach as well and has been a part of the fun ever since. “The girls were all talking not too long ago, asking each other what their favorite song was and what their favorite movie was, when one of them turned to me and asked, ‘Ms. Marion, what’s your favorite song?’

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team spirit

TOP: The team performs a routine during a show at the Phelps Center. RIGHT: The team stretches during a practice. BELOW LEFT: Maribeth Candeto, a former Crimsonette, gives makeup instruction to members of the Crimson Cabaret. BELOW RIGHT: A team member practices a flip during rehearsal.

I thought about it for a moment and said, ‘I guess it’s “Yea, Alabama,” ’ and they all laughed. But it is, I’ve heard it so many times over the years, but I still love it.” In addition to performing at Alabama events ranging from men’s and women’s basketball games to gymnastics meets to an appearance on the sideline at Alabama football’s annual homecoming game, the Crimson Cabaret is active in the community, and the dancers strive to serve as ambassadors for the university they are proud to represent. Through all that, through each performance, practice, class and event, Sheffield and her teammates never forget where it all started. “Every time little girls come up to us after a game for an autograph or wanting to hold a pompom or to take their picture with us, I think back to when I was that little girl,” Sheffield said. “When we’re talking to them, asking if they dance and they tell us they want to be on the team one day, I just think any girl’s dream can come true, because I know that mine did.” 82

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living history

faith A gathering of

By angel coker photos By erin nelson

a tradition more than 100 years old continues as folks gather for the annual hartselle camp meeting

living history

aleb Puckett tolled a bell from beneath an almost 120-year-old structure, signaling people to join for the service. The sawdust floor shifted beneath his 87-year-old grandmother’s feet as she moved to take a seat for the duration of song and sermon. Margaret Puckett is one of the oldest living attendees of the Hartselle Camp Meeting, a yearly summer encampment where people come to hear the word of God. She raised her children, and her children raised their children, attending the weeklong, revival-style encampment. Puckett first visited when she was 16 years old and has attended ever since. Now, her 14-year-old grandson shares the experience with her. “I’ve been coming out here a long time. All of my children were raised out here,” Puckett said, adding that it meant a lot to her to have her grandchildren raised there, too. She was one of the oldest people to be present this summer. Hundreds have gone before her and left the camp to flourish under the guidance of subsequent generations. The Hartselle Camp Meeting celebrated its 117th consecutive encampment in June. On opening night, hundreds of people, young and old, gathered beneath the more than 100-year-old tabernacle — the focal point of the 14-acre campus that includes a dining hall, a dormitory and cabins. “This structure was built in the late 1800s, and it still stands today. It has had a number of new roofs put

TOP: Attendees sit in lawn chairs as they listen to the Rev. Rob Cain’s sermon at the Hartselle Tabernacle at the 117th annual Hartselle Camp Meeting on June 17. ABOVE: Youth pray with Hartselle Camp staff. LEFT: Attendees sing hymns at the annual event in Hartselle.

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living history

ABOVE: The First United Methodist Church quartet of Hartselle sings at the 117th annual Hartselle Camp Meeting at the Hartselle Tabernacle. RIGHT: The original cedar posts from 1897 still support the Hartselle Tabernacle.

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living history

on it, but it’s still the same structure,” said Glenn Thompson, the camp’s second vice president. Fluorescent lightbulbs and fireflies chased off the darkness as night fell and services began. The group sat beneath the original wooden structure that is supported with cedar logs. They sang from worn and tattered hymn books and sat on creaky, wooden pews atop sawdust floors or in lawn chairs surrounding the perimeter of the tabernacle. Ceiling fans dangled from the roof, pushing out very little of the surrounding sweltering heat as crickets and bullfrogs joined in the singing of the choir and congregation. It’s that atmosphere that draws people back to the camp year after year — an atmosphere that makes one wonder what it was like a hundred years ago, sitting in front of an old-time preacher man on a Southern summer night. “Camp meetings started in the late 1800s across the South,” Thompson said. They were originally a Methodist phenomenon called brush arbor meetings. All denominations join together now. Families — 85 to 90 percent farmers — would travel by wagon with supplies to last 10 days and set up camp on site. The meetings, which

ABOVE AND TOP: Attendees listen as the Rev. Rob Cain gives a sermon at the Hartselle Tabernacle.

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living history

LEFT: Youth and attendees bow their heads in prayer. BELOW: A young attendee prays with Hartselle camp staff. BOTTOM: Folks gather inside and out to listen to a sermon.

included morning, afternoon and evening worship services, would be held during the time of the year when farmers had nothing to do but wait on their crops to ripen for harvest. Now, the days of the camp have shortened from 10 to six, and three services a day have shortened to two. But most camp meetings like this are a thing of the past because most people don’t take off work to stay the whole week, or have forgotten such camps even exist, Thompson said. In fact, only a handful of camps like this — between 50 and 75 — do still exist in the South. The Hartselle camp was named one of 100 sites on National Geographic Traveler magazine’s Hallelujah trail. The site must be at least 88

100 years old and still in operation to make the list. “A lot of the camp meetings have gone by the way(side) over the years, but this one has hung on,” Thompson said. He said that’s because of people like current camp president Rob Cain, who started attending the camp when he was 10 years old and fell in love. “Youth is kind of the lifeblood,” Thompson said. “Kids that are raised here tend to love this place, come back (and) want to perpetuate it.” Cain said every time he steps beneath the roof of the decadesold tabernacle, a feeling of awe washes over him as he thinks of the history that has taken place there — where hundreds of people sang,

living history

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TOP: Caleb Puckett, 14, right, of Hartselle and Maddie Cain, 16, of Tuscaloosa play ping-pong in the youth dormitory. ABOVE: The Rev. Rob Cain preaches to those gathered.

prayed, worshipped, listened to the word of God and came to know the Lord. “This is where my journey of faith began,” he said. Cain, pastor of The Lighthouse in Tuscaloosa, said he was saved at the camp during the 14 years he spent there as a child. His best friend and Puckett’s son, Ron Puckett, was saved there, too, he said. Now Cain and Puckett’s children spend their summers at the camp, and he said he hopes they keep the tradition alive for generations to come.

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INTRIGUING

PEOPLE

Meet six folks who make a difference in our communities

MICHAEL WILK

Rock ’N’ Roll musician on keyboard and keytar

JOHN ENGLAND JR.

6th Judicial Circuit Court Judge

SHERRI WARNER

Development Director, Kentuck Art Center

RICH MARCKS

Professional Artist, specializing in city projects

CARLTON ROBERTSON Child Nutrition Program Director for Tuscaloosa City Schools

ERIC GRANTHAM

Owner, Game Changer Performance Training Gym

6 INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO.1

Michael Wilk

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MUSICIAN ON KEYBOARD + KEYTAR BY ROOTS WOODRUFF PHOTO BY MICHELLE LEPIANKA CARTER

fter more than 40 years in the music business, including 35 in the seminal rock ’n’ roll outﬁt Steppenwolf, Michael Wilk has been just about everywhere that’s anywhere at least twice. So there is a sense of perspective when the keyboardist and master of the keytar (a guitar/ keyboard hybrid) describes Tuscaloosa as his absolute favorite place on the planet. “I love the smallness of it. I’ve played around the world, in every major city, all 50 states, 90 percent of Europe, and I can tell you that Tuscaloosa is just an amazing place to live, very friendly, with great restaurants and a quaintness to it that I just

love. I just can’t say enough good things.” It was a kind of kismet that landed him among the Crimson Tide faithful. An accomplished musician in her own right, Wilk’s daughter Mandy was looking at schools in 2011. Accepted at Rice, Baylor, Cal-Berkeley and Oregon State, Mandy Wilk chose Alabama, coming for a visit in February of her senior year in high school, playing on the stage in the concert hall while dad watched in the audience. “Professor Skip Snead, chair of the music department, came down and sat down right next to me and said, ‘Man, I’m the biggest Steppenwolf fan ever,’ ” Wilk said. Looking to make a move at the time, Wilk’s initial conversation with Snead, and the conversations that followed, culminated in a job offer. First on his to-do list was bringing his entire

studio cross country, donating it and then setting it up at Alabama, ﬁrst in the basement of the Moody Music Building, then more permanently in the former chapel on the old Bryce Hospital grounds. Wilk’s musical odyssey started in Massachusetts. After graduating from the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music, Wilk “hightailed it out to LA, where I put my nose to the grindstone.” Once in Hollywood, he moved quickly up the ranks, working with the likes of Boz Scaggs, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, Rick Derringer and the Pointer Sisters. At one of his sessions in the famed Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Calif., he spotted a note on the board from the legendary leader of Steppenwolf: “John Kay looking for keyboard player.” An audition was set up, and not more than 24

“I’m OnE Of tHE lUcky fEw wHO HAS bEEn AblE tO DO wHAt I wAntED my EntIrE lIfE,” wIlk SAID. “tHErE’S AlwAyS bEEn mUSIc, AnD It’S bEEn An AmAzIng rIDE.” Age: 62 FAmily: Daughter Mandy, a 2016 University of Alabama graduate in music therapy and German. Hometown: Chicopee Falls, Mass. my inFluences: George Massenburg, the inventor of Parametric EQ. He is the reason that I am here in terms of recording. He taught me so many things along the way and is a good friend and a mentor beyond belief. sometHing people don’t know About me: I’m really interested in the political process. proudest AcHievement: My daughter! She graduated summa cum laude. I couldn’t be any prouder of her and her continuing studies in music. To be that disciplined in practicing and learning and studying and supporting a perfect GPA, I’m just so proud. wHy i do wHAt i do: It’s the love of music. You gotta get up in the morning and love where you’re going to be happy and successful.

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hours later, a call came in. The voice on the other end said, “This is John Kay, the gig is yours if you want it.” That was 1981, and he has been Steppenwolf’s keyboardist and musical director ever since. During his tenure with “the Wolf,” Wilk was based in California, Tennessee and Oregon before landing in Tuscaloosa. As part of the UA School of Music staff, Wilk is teaching and building a recording studio curriculum within the music school. He also used his expertise in the world of video to give Alabama the ability to stream video from the Concert and Recital halls in the Moody Music Building simultaneously. Early in his tenure at Alabama, he brought his expertise in front of a sound mixing board to the Million Dollar Band, making sure that every note blends together in perfect harmony as it comes out of stadium speakers. For some, being a part of a musical outfit that plays regularly in front of 100,000-plus fans, as the Million Dollar Band does, might be a little intimidating, but Steppenwolf venues run the gamut between 2,000seat amphitheaters to playing in front of 125,000-plus fans at Farm Aid III. So his comfort in either environment is pretty much guaranteed. Over the last year, Wilk estimates, the ratio between playing the iconic anthem “Born to be Wild” with Steppenwolf, which still plays a dozen or so dates a year, and “Yea, Alabama,” the Crimson Tide’s fight song as part of the Million Dollar Band, tilts 60-40 toward the fight song. At Snead’s suggestion, Wilk has mixed in a little Steppenwolf with his Alabama duties, playing “Born to be Wild” with a 26-piece French horn ensemble. “In the larger horn community, everyone was going, ‘You’re going to do what?’ ” Wilk said. “It was pretty interesting to have them adopt the song that way.” French horns covering “Born to be Wild” is just the latest interlude in a journey filled with music. “I’m one of the lucky few who has been able to do what I wanted my entire life,” Wilk said. “There’s always been music, and it’s been an amazing ride.”

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6 INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO.2

John England Jr. 6TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE BY CAROLINE GAZZARA PHOTO BY MICHELLE LEPIANKA CARTER

udge John England Jr.’s modest corner ofﬁce is lined with half a dozen mahogany bookshelves housing hundreds of legal books and documents. It’s a decent-sized corner ofﬁce, holding many family pictures and countless memories. Sitting at his oversized desk, England takes a moment to compose himself before his busy day begins; between court hearings and reviewing cases, England never seems to miss a beat. But it’s what he’s been doing for more 94

than 20 years — minus a short stint when he was on the Alabama Supreme Court. “In my time, I have a basic appreciation for the decency of people, the desire to help others and to do the right thing. When I deal with situations, I deal with them in that respect, on the bench,” England said. At 69 years old, England was born before desegregation and the civil rights movement. He went to what was then Tuskegee Institute for chemistry, participating in most civil rights marches throughout the state at the time, to be later selected for a summer program at Harvard before discovering his true calling. “I realized at Tuskegee, I wouldn’t be able to

(participate in civil rights events in the future) in chemistry,” England said. “There was a history professor that encouraged minorities — black people — to go to law school, so he made plans for me during the summer of my junior year to attend Harvard Law School. And I knew that law was what I was going to do.” England graduated in 1969 with his chemistry degree and went on to law school at the University of Alabama, graduating in 1974. It took him a little longer to complete his law degree, after being drafted for two years during the Vietnam War. He did, eventually, get to use his chemistry degree for six months at a paper mill in Jesup, Ga.

NAME: John Henry England Jr. AGE: 69 PERSONAL: Children, John Henry England III, 46; April Albright, 44; Christopher England, 40; seven grandchildren

“IT’S GIVEN ME A PERSPECTIVE. MOST OF US HUMAN BEINGS REALLY WANT TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT,” ENGLAND SAID. “SO I’M ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC THAT THE INDIVIDUALS THAT COME BEFORE ME WILL TRY AND DO THE RIGHT THING OR WILL TAKE ACTION AND BE MOTIVATED BY A DESIRE TO HELP OTHERS.”

HOMETOWN: Birmingham INFLUENCES: My mother, Willie Ann England. SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME: I sing in the Bailey Tabernacle CME choir and sing an occasional solo. My two favorite solos are “In My Heart” and “You Can’t Beat God’s Giving.” PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT: My three children. WHY I DO WHAT I DO: I got this from my mother, Willie. I think it’s important to serve and to serve others. I think what I’m doing is serving others through this public oﬃce.

His mother, Willie Ann, and his father, John England Sr., always motivated him to help others. The best way he knew how to serve was by becoming a lawyer. For 19 years, England practiced law in Tuscaloosa before then-governor Jim Folsom Jr. appointed him to his current position on the 6th Judicial Circuit Court in 1993. But he always reflects back to the time when he was fighting for equality and change. After law school, England and his law firm influenced major political changes in Tuscaloosa during the ’80s. In 1985, he was elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council as the chair of finance; he served two terms. All of his experiences have shaped him into being one of Tuscaloosa’s most reputable judges. “It’s given me a perspective. Most of us human beings really want to do what’s right,” England said. “So I’m always optimistic that the individu-

als that come before me will try and do the right thing or will take action and be motivated by a desire to help others. I think most people are like that. “Now, for all kinds of reasons, sometimes there are some, and not a majority, but there are some that are blinded by whatever’s going on in their heads that they don’t really consider the harm they can cause to others by their actions. And those have to be dealt with. I just learned that perspective over the years.” Rumors have swirled recently that England is set to retire in the near future, and although the rumors have some merit, he says he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. “I’ll be 70 next year, so I’ll be getting close,” England said. “I don’t have a time limit, but it’s not next week and it’s not next month, but I will not ﬁll out this term. Of course there’s four and a half more years to go, but I am certain of that.”

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Sherri Warner

6 intriguing people

No.3

development director at kentuck art center By Becky hopf photo By michelle lepianka carter

t would be easier, perhaps, to count the members in Sherri Warner’s family tree who have not been involved in the arts in one form or another, herself included. Her grandmother, Lucile House, owned and operated Ma’Cille’s Museum of Miscellanea in Gordo. Within its walls was a bit of everything — hence the name — from antique bottles to old furniture to animals that House taxidermied herself, including possums playing checkers. There was even a log cabin that had been taken down 96

and removed, log by log, and re-created. Warner’s uncle, Glenn House, created a Tuscaloosa icon: the neon, blinking Moon Winx Lodge sign. Another uncle, Jerry House, was a singersongwriter who wrote the chart-topping hits “I Got the Hoss” and “Midnight, Me and the Blues” for Mel Tillis. Warner’s father was a woodworker. A fire ant sculpture in downtown Northport was created by her cousin, Butch House. “That was the environment I grew up in. We were taught to see beauty and value in everything,” Warner said. Warner is development director at Kentuck Art Center in Northport. The Gordo native graduated from Gordo High School in 1976 and the Universi-

ty of Alabama in 1981, with a degree in computer science, which she put to use in Minnesota for some 20 years working in the computer industry. She moved back to Gordo after her father had a stroke, taking a job as an elementary school art teacher. “I did that for a year, and I loved it. Kids at that age are so funny and so smart and creative. They haven’t been told yet that their art is no good or you can’t do something. Art teaches so much more than how to draw. It’s problem-solving, creativity, innovation, collaboration and all those kinds of things,” Warner said. The school lost its funding for her teaching position but, with perfect timing, as one door closed,

Name: Sherri House Warner age: 57 HometowN: Gordo PersoNal: Husband, Tim. PeoPle wHo Have iNflueNced my life: My family — they’ve taught me to plant enough vegetables for soup in January, open your heart to strangers, work hard but have priorities, and never forget laughter is key. sometHiNg PeoPle doN’t kNow about me: I have a cat just so when I’m caught talking or singing to myself, I can say I’m talking to the cat. (Don’t tell the cat.) my Proudest acHievemeNt: Just this last Mule Day, Ma’Cile’s was open. It was almost time to close and a young boy dragged his mother in. When they were ready to leave, she told me, “He has to come every year. He loves it, even though he’s a little freaked out by it.” That’s exactly what we’re hoping for! wHy i do wHat i do: I believe art can have a profound impact on every life, whether you are the artist or the observer. Art is communication. Every artist tells a little about their story in every piece, and every observer brings a little of their story to what they’re seeing. Art helps us understand each other better.

another opened. The Kentuck Art Center was creating a new position, and Warner was the perfect match. She started working at Kentuck in August 2014 as development coordinator. She took care of the center’s paperwork and other responsibilities. She was often told, in the highest of compliments, that she was overqualified for that role, but Warner didn’t care. “I was determined to work at Kentuck,” Warner said. Shortly after she was hired, the alreadysmall staff — there are only five full-time employees now, and the fifth was only recently added — lost two employees. She absorbed many of their duties, though she is quick to emphasize that she works with a staff where everyone pitches in to help with anything and everything. Her own ability to juggle several tasks led to a title and responsibility change. Since that, too, was a first, she still finds herself navigating the waters. “In the nonprofit world, development people are all over the place. You don’t do just one thing. I had never done development work before. As development manager, I write grants, take care of memberships, I do corporate sponsors and VIPs for the festival.” She also creates most of the graphic work for the center, sharing those skills with Kentuck executive director Amy Echols. The Kentuck Festival of the Arts is a major

event that has become part of the area’s footprint. This year’s festival, in its 45th year, is Oct. 15-16 at Kentuck Park in Northport. “We have 280 artists, and more than 100 are new this year. It’s always amazing because they are juried by an anonymous jury. You never know who is going to make it,” Warner said. “The community really supports Kentuck. They love Kentuck. This will be our 45th year, so we’re a big part of the community.” Kentuck distinguished itself long ago with its heavy influence on a special form of art. “It’s our focus on folk art, which is so accessible to everybody,” Warner said, “although a lot of people look at it and say, ‘My third-grader could do that.’ We had an artist who was in his 70s, and he does these fantastic memory paintings from what he remembers growing up. They’re very simple paintings. He says he always said, when someone makes that comment, ‘Yeah, but they didn’t.’ ” “That’s how Kentuck got its start, as a community festival celebrating traditional craft. From that, our late founder, Georgine Clarke, discovered all these artists that were not making art because it would make them rich and famous, but because it was something that they felt called to do.” Among those who feel the calling is Warner. “My family keeps telling me they know Ma’Cile is looking down, smiling on me,” Warner said.

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Rich Marcks 6 intriguing people

No.4 professional artist specializing in city projects By mark hughes coBB photo By michelle lepianka carter

n any place he loves, Rich Marcks makes it weirder. A painter, illustrator, chalk artist, cartoonist and animator, Marcks puts his artist’s eye and mind to works as various as the Bimah wall co-created for the new Temple Emanu-El synagogue, to “Legal Outdoor Sofas,” created in protest of a city ordinance against indoor furniture outside, to the now-you-see-’em chalk paintings at Egan’s and Druid City Brewing Co. In days past, he made a work of art out of the building opened as the Liberty Café — where Ruan Thai is now — painted murals and frontispieces for the late, great Chukker, painted autos in camouflage or simulations of outsized, riveted metallic plates. He’s drawn a satirical cartoon called Tuna 98

Martini, created short animations, designed European discos, and painstakingly crafted block-letter paintings and tables, mandalas of colorful words and thoughts you can read up close, or stand back and take in as different images emerge from the broader colors and shadings. Lately he’s been most noted for chalkboard paintings at DCBC, many of them featuring Nick Saban and other sports figures, in parodies of classical art from Michelangelo to da Vinci. His “Last Supper”themed work, featuring all the SEC football coaches, went up in July; unlike many of them, which are gone with the eraser, it’ll be preserved after display, and auctioned off for charity. “I’ve been drawing before I could write, I think. I love to draw,” Marcks said. The focus was so intense, it made some of his other schooling fade to the background.

“Math class, I didn’t listen; I just drew cartoons,” he said. “My mom was always ‘Oh no, look at your grades,’ and I go ‘But look at my art grade!’ ” At the University of Alabama, beginning in 1977, he studied painting under Al Sella and Henry Betak, and sculpture with Angelo Granata. His art degree was like “an expensive piece of toilet paper … but they did take me seriously.” At UA, Marcks also studied Asian history and philosophy with Ron Robel, and from that interest traveled to Korea as an exchange student in 1980. After graduation in ’82, he studied at National Taiwan University, where he met a German girl, leading to travels through Europe, and the beginning of design work. He’d continued painting and drawing on a small scale, because bigger works weren’t practical for someone on the move. During the European years of the ’80s, his

Name: Rich Marcks age: 57 PersoNal: Married, two offspring. HometowN: Earth PeoPle wHo Have iNflueNced my life: Frank Zappa, Spock, the 3 Stooges. sometHiNg most PeoPle doN’t kNow about me: While in Morocco I built a ring of rocks visible from space. my Proudest acHievemeNt: Staying alive and out of jail, saving my cat from death by dog. wHy i do wHat i do: I do what I do because it is

ABOVE: Rich Marcks works on a new chalkboard mural inside Druid City one of taproom the fewinthings worth doing, and all fun, Brewery’s July. The artwork features 14too. of the SEC head football coaches in a parody of “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci. The work was unveiled as SEC Media Days began.

work grew expansive, designing cars, nightclubs and fashion-show stages. One of his illustrations, a worm on green buckets as a logo for biodegradable compost containers, may have been one of his most-seen works, he said. And he kept painting, selling more than a hundred of his various pieces, for prices in the thousands of dollars. While working at a disco called The Madison, he met another German woman, Gabrielle, who became his wife. Marcks also traveled to Morocco, just before Gabrielle gave birth to their first child, daughter Mia. A few years later, hoping to escape the cold, they began pondering a move to the United States. Mia was 4, and her brother Marlin was 2: Marcks wanted to live somewhere the children didn’t have to cough year ‘round, somewhere on the same latitude as Morocco. And yes, a line can be drawn across the globe, roughly, from Casablanca to the Druid City. “I like Tuscaloosa,” Marcks said. “I consider it to be the center of the universe in perfect disguise.” On a visit home in the early ’90s, he saw the city lacked his kind of café, so, with his mother’s help, bought the building in ’93, and after painting and renovating, opened the Liberty Café in ’94. Its main room featured a round-ceiling mural in sepia-tone, with Bear Bryant at the center, surrounded by Lady Liberty, a costumed superhero, and local figures such as Robert “Rowbear” Huffman throughout. Some of his letter tables and other works were put to use and display and the Liberty also exhibited other artists’ work, and hosted mostly-acoustic musicians on evenings and weekends. Even though he tossed musical and artistic ingenuity into the café, it was always a sideline, a source of income for his true love. “Art, for me, is the one thing I think is worth doing,” he said in a ’97 interview with The Tuscaloosa News, in advance of an exhibit of his work at the Kentuck Art Center. “I think I’m a good actor: I can act like a painter at times.” Much the same patronage of his café also frequented The Chukker, where Marcks spent time not only availing himself of the hospitality, but expanding the artistic expanse of that eclectic bar, once the state’s oldest. For the outdoors, he painted the red, white and

“Art, for me, is the one thing i think is worth doing,” he sAid in A ’97 interview with The Tuscaloosa News, in AdvAnce of An exhibit of his work At the kentuck Art center. “i think i’m A good Actor: i cAn Act like A pAinter At times.” blue front walls: “Liberté, égalité, fraternité: Vive le Chukker 1956,” when under the ownership of Ludovic Goubet. For the inside, he painted murals, colorful explosions to clash and coordinate with wall-works by Bob Weston and Tom Bradford. When the federal building development encroached on the downtown area, forcing the destruction of the building in 2007, Marcks was among those who saved Bradford’s The Sistine Chukker, disassembling and preserving all 16 panels. It was later reconstructed on the ceiling above the band-space at Egan’s. The other murals were lost, as they’d been painted directly onto the walls. For someone who thinks and lives visually, he’s no stranger to lyrical protests as seen in regular letters to the editor. When the City Council changed bar-closing hours, a move many saw as one step toward closing The Chukker, which did a lot of business with offshift servers and others coming in late nights, he wrote: “This country was founded at least as much on whiskey and free enterprise as it was on a particular set of religious beliefs … I do respect the beliefs of others, even if believing is not knowing, and I wish they would just snap out of it. All I ask in return is that they respect my beliefs: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I want to believe that this is a free country, too.” The “liberty, equality and brotherhood” he painted wasn’t simply the motto of France and Haiti. When the city passed an ordinance banning indoor furniture for outdoor use — purportedly to keep students from lowering neighborhood values by tossing ratty couches into rented yards — Marcks concocted an artist’s rebellion. He created custom-made wooden benches, perfectly legal for outdoors, but with the back and armrests painted to look like tatty indoor sofas. “Legal Outdoor Sofas!” the fliers read. Businesses bought them, including DePalma’s, which placed its legal outdoor sofa out on the sidewalk, for patrons waiting on a table to open. “It’s like an invasion of the Junior League Body Snatchers: They want to tell us when we can go out, what we can have on signs and what we can have on our porches,” Marcks said, in an interview with The Tuscaloosa News. Even when seriously at work — some of the letter paintings, he’s worked on for more than a year, and with commercial commissions, he’s drawn to focus — there’s wit and whimsy within. “The sofas and other things I do, the snacks I take pictures of and paint, and my sculptures, they all have a sense of humor,” Marcks said. “When I was young, I realized there’s not a serious bone in my art’s body. It’s all a joke … I like a lighter side.” 99

Carlton Robertson 6 iNtriguiNg people

No.5

child nutrition program director for tuscaloosa city schools By drew taylor photo By michelle lepianka carter

rowing up one of 10 children, Carlton Robertson never knew he was poor until he saw what he did not have. The first day of second grade at Holt Elementary School, Robertson saw children who wore new clothes and whose parents drove them to school every day. Living in poverty, the Robertsons did not have a car, forcing Carlton and his siblings to take the bus every day. His clothes often belonged to someone else before him. 100

“If you had a hole in your pants, you put patches on them,” Robertson said. “If you had holes in your shoes, you put cardboard in them. You just had to deal with what you had.” Robertson’s father left the family when he was 6 years old, forcing his mother to go on welfare and raise her children by herself in Tuscaloosa. “When you’re only getting $236 a month, Mom had to make choices on who would get clothes this month or who would get shoes this month,” he said. Financial pressures also forced Robertson’s family to frequently move, from the Alberta community to the public housing project Woodmont in the Holt community.

Having worked for Tuscaloosa City Schools for nearly 30 years, Robertson’s life in poverty informs how he reaches students. “If it wasn’t for neighbors helping out, you couldn’t make it,” he said. “If the school system can provide that service, we’re doing something good.” In his role as director of TCS’ child nutrition program, Robertson manages more than 100 staff members and a $7 million budget to feed more than 10,000 students per day in 24 schools across the city. “My role is to make sure that we are feeding all the children of our district a well-balanced meal,” he said. “We have to make sure to create a better

Name: Carlton Robertson age: 55 PersoNal: Wife, Sherry; children, Corey, 28; Natasha, 25; Shakita, 24; and Carlton Jr., 20. HometowN: Tuscaloosa tHe PeoPle wHo Have iNflueNced my life: It would have to be my older siblings, Henry Jr., Herb, Annie, Barbara and Janice. sometHiNg most PeoPle doN’t kNow about me: I’m always thinking about others first. my Proudest acHievemeNt: Getting my degree. wHy i do wHat i do: Every child that I see, I see myself in that child. I see the potential in that child that others don’t see. environment for all our kids.” While a junior at Central High School, Robertson got a job with Bama Dining, starting as a dishwasher in the cafeteria at Mary Burke Hall at the University of Alabama. By the time he graduated in 1985, Robertson was supervising the cafeteria. Despite his employment, Robertson was not making enough to support himself and his wife. In 1988, Robertson took a second job at Tuscaloosa City Schools, starting as a dishwasher at Stillman Heights Elementary. In 1995, Robertson was manager of Stillman Heights’ child nutrition program. By 1997, he was coordinator of the program across the school system. “No one knows this job better than I do,” he said. Robertson admits that despite his success in his job, there were often times when he felt inferior to his colleagues in the school system. Wanting a change, Robertson decided to become a college graduate, earning his degree in hospitality management and tourism from the University of Phoenix in July 2014. “It was funny because at the time, my whole family was in school at the same time,” he said. “When I would ask my kids how their grades were, they would ask me how my grades were.” Every day on the job, Robertson sees children in the same situation he grew up in, and says that because of his background, he sees things better than most. “If my mom could manage 10 kids with $236 per month, I can manage millions of dollars’ worth of projects,” he said. In fact, Robertson credits his mother with the way he works today, making sure to give of himself every day. “My mother was so free-hearted that she would give what she had to the neighbors that needed it,” he said. “She always told us that the Lord would provide, and he did.” Robertson does the same with his own staff. “Anything I learn, I try to give to them so that they can do the best job they can,” he said. More than his own career, Robertson said he is proud of how his four children turned out. “The positive thing is I broke the cycle with my kids,” he said. “All my kids went to college, are not in trouble and are doing great.” Other parts of his past also inform the way Robertson lives now. “We were raised with no money,” he said. “Even to this day, I don’t spend a lot of money on things.” In the future, Robertson hopes to reach more children and change lives in the school system. “As administrators, if we stop putting ourselves first and think about how we can help the kids, everything gets better at that point,” he said. 101

Eric Grantham 6 intriGuinG people

No.6

owner, game changer performance training gym By Caroline Gazzara photo By Gary CosBy jr.

n a typical day, Eric Grantham gets up at 4:45 a.m. This has been his morning routine for a while now — get up, get ready and out the door before the sun rises. Usually, he has a 5:45 workout session with a client before running back home to take his kids to school. It’s a routine he’s perfected since his college days. It doesn’t take much to get Grantham 102

excited about his day — he spent the better part of the year preparing for the planned Aug. 6 opening of his new strength and conditioning gym, Game Changer Performance Training. “I always kind of get butterflies. I get butterflies before a session,” Grantham said. “I think that’s great because I know I’m still growing.” After dropping off his kids, Grantham is back in the gym, whether working out by himself or training others. He breaks up his day by doing paperwork, making sure his new 7,500-square-foot sports performance center is up to par and working out with

various clients. It’s during the few moments each day that Grantham has to himself that he remembers everything he’s accomplished to get here. His new gym boasts a 2,000-square-foot indoor turf area, rubber flooring, weights and personalized training to put an emphasis on the individual instead of the group. “Our facility isn’t going to be a facility where everyone comes in and does what they want. It’s not like a regular gym. I want it to be where you come in, everybody knows each other and encourages each other, whether it’s an adult getting ready for

a competition to a mom who wants to get better at playing with her kid to a student athlete. Those are the things I’m trying to encourage.” Grantham said he always knew he would make an impact on other people’s lives. After majoring in sports fitness management at the University of Alabama, Grantham would wake up before sunrise and volunteer in the weight room before he went to class. He enjoyed being with the players and seeing their growth over the course of a season. “Just feeling the energy when you walk in and you start seeing the determination that people have and the work ethic people put in and the things that you can change, I knew right then, that’s what I want to do,” Grantham said. He worked his way up into an internship with the Crimson Tide before being hired full time with the strength and conditioning program, working closely with its coach, Scott Cochran. Grantham worked with Alabama for four years before taking an opportunity in Bradenton, Fla., at IMG Academy in 2010 to head up a new strength and conditioning program at the school. Grantham gained plenty of experience while working at IMG. He was able to help train college athletes for upcoming NFL combines as well as keep up with the youth he was training on a daily basis. But Grantham wanted more. In 2015, he packed up his family once more and went to New York to become the director of strength and conditioning at Fusion in Manhattan. He wasn’t in the city long, about a year, before his heartstrings tugged to return to Tuscaloosa and build his own gym. “I decided I wanted to make Tuscaloosa home; I wanted to get back closer to here because I missed being here,” Grantham said. “I love the city.” Grantham won’t say the process hasn’t been stressful, but he said it has been exhilarating seeing it all come together. “Just seeing this all come to fruition, it’s been a long process,” Grantham said. “It’ll be cool to see and to sit back and say ‘OK, this is mine.’ I’m just excited to see the place finally open and what change we can bring into Tuscaloosa.”

Name: Eric Grantham

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age: 36

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PersoNal: Wife, Melissa Grantham; son, Carson Grantham, 7; and daughter, Lilly Grantham, 4.

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tHe PeoPle wHo Have iNflueNced my life: University of Alabama’s Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Terry Jones, IMG Strength and Conditioning Staff, and parents Mitzi and Randy Grantham. sometHiNg most PeoPle doN’t kNow about me: I’m a geek at heart. I love superheroes and playing Legos, especially the Lego video games. my Proudest acHievemeNt: Being a part of the 2009 University of Alabama National Football Championship team, my two kids and starting the IMG program.

do everything in their power to make one happen. Please to get better. Put Your Money Where the Miracles Are.

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wHy i do wHat i do: I love changing lives. I love seeing a difference when you work with somebody not just physically, but seeing the change from a mental approach, and how much confidence (they) get by just being able to change how they feel about themselves. 103

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