Tuscaloosa Magazine Winter 2018

ALSO INSIDE:

SISTER SCHUBERT’S BREAD PUDDING HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE SOGGY BOTTOM LODGE FLORAL ARRANGING IDEAS 6 INTRIGUING PEOPLE & SO MUCH MORE

Joshua Williams is an international award winner

www.tuscaloosamag.com $3.95

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editor’s letter

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Editor-in-chief Becky Hopf Design Editor Lindi Daywalt-Feazel Photographers Gary Cosby Jr. Erin Nelson Jake Arthur Copy Editors Amy Robinson Kelcey Sexton Edwin Stanton Annie Milbourn Angelica Zdzienicki Operations Director Paul Hass Advertising Director Bobby Rice Prepress Coordinator Chuck Jones Published by The Tuscaloosa News 315 28th Avenue Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 Executive Editor Michael James Senior GL Accountant Carolyn Durel Magazine 205-722-0232 To advertise 205-722-0173 To subscribe 205-722-0102

t wasn’t intentional — no planned theme — but this Winter issue of Tuscaloosa is filled with dreamers who had an idea or a dream and went out and made it happen. Perhaps it’s an appropriate message for us all as we head into a new year and make our resolutions to be the best we can be and work to make our own dreams happen.

I’m not sure I can even Yvonne Wells and Becky Hopf with the Tuscaloosa bicentennial quilt. pick a favorite among the overachievers we highlight, particularly in decorations that Tuscaloosans have gone wild our “Six Intriguing People” section. There’s Ruby over.

There’s Rose Chang, who got her own home Battle, who has lived 100 years now and has in total order and decided she could do it for oth100-and-more fascinating stories of those years, ers — and in a matter of months established a including how she was just a generation removed thriving business.

Also, there’s Kelly Wilkin, whose from slavery yet went on to earn a college degree eye for arranging and creating floral masterpieces and become an educator … or how she was led her to start her own business, Kelly Wilkin injured but survived a 1932 tornado in downtown Floral Creative.

Northport that leveled her family’s home — with I first learned about Soggy Bottom Lodge while them and some neighbors in it. There’s Lucretia writing a sports story on Demopolis hosting the Prince, who had a heartbreaking blow as a senior upcoming 14-year-old Babe Ruth World Series in high school, learning at the last minute she next summer.

One of the questions I asked was didn’t have enough credits to graduate. Prince where visitors could stay and was told Soggy took that heartbreak and turned it around, earnBottom would house the league officials and ing her master’s degree, establishing a summer umpires.

I looked it up online and was immeschool program for kids, authoring two children’s diately impressed, and was seriously “wowed” books, and, she’s now an elementary school when we visited for the interview and photo principal. Yvonne Wells is a retired educator who shoot. took her love of quilting and has won national We visited the Collier home, which is closing recognition for her art. She led the creation of in on its 200th year, with each owner during that Tuscaloosa’s bicentennial quilt, which will be span taking loving care of it so that it might enjoy unveiled this winter. And those are just three of another 200, including its current owners, James our very-intriguing six. Wait until you read about “Butch” Grimes and his wife, Amy. And, for style, Linda Knowles, Anna Katherine Cabaniss and we head to the movies with fashions from Dukes Nicholas Britto.

Clothier that will make stars of anyone who wears There’s our cover story on Joshua Williams, them. whose sweet sounds on the French horn won an Winter is here. Cuddle up with this issue. international competition. He is already receiving — and accepting — invites to perform in some of our country’s most renowned symphonies.

Becky Hopf, editor There’s Julia Phifer, who took the “I can do that” Reach Becky Hopf at attitude and did just that in creating sugar cookie becky.hopf@tuscaloosanews.com.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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WINTER 2018

VOLUME 16, NO.

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CONTENTS

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22

08 DINING OUT

20 EVENTS

14 DINING IN

22 FOODIE NEWS

The Half Shell Oyster House is a seafood lover’s delight.

Liz Obradovich shares some of her palate-pleasing wild game recipes.

28

Places to go, things to see and do.

It’s a sweet treat when Sister Schubert shares her thoughts and her bread pudding recipe.

28 OUTDOORS

You don’t have to be a sportsman to appreciate this woodland paradise.

36 AT HOME

It was once home to Alabama’s governor, but now the Grimes family is keeping this nearly200-year-old home a Tuscaloosa treasure.

43 LIFESTYLES

Rose Chang will get you organized.

ON THE COVER s William Joshua rnational te is an in inner w award

ALSO : INSIDSCEHUBERT’S

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SISTER PUDDING BREAD ELL HALF SH HOUSE R OYSTE Y SOGG M LODGE BOTTO L FLORA GING IDEAS ARRAN IGUING 6 INTR E PEOPL ORE UCH M & SO M

Photo by: Gary Cosby Jr. • See story: Page 53

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Hillcrest High School alumnus Joshua Williams is finishing up his doctorate at the University of Alabama, and his musical career is flourishing. His talent on the French horn won an international award this past year, and he’s caught attention as a guest artist at some major cities’ symphonies.

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FASHION Dukes Clothier takes us to the movies in style.

Page 64

48 DECORATING

58 ENTERTAINING

90 ON THE SCENE

Kelly Wilkin can turn anything into a floral masterpiece — and shows how you can, too.

Julia Phifer has found sweet success in the art of decorating a cookie.

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

53 COVER STORY

77 6 INTRIGUING PEOPLE

124 LAST LOOK

Tuscaloosa’s Joshua Williams’ talent on the French horn is music to our ears.

36

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

48

A snapshot that captures life in West Alabama.

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DINING OUT

BOURBON STREET COMES TO

BROWN’S CORNER THERE’S A FRENCH

QUARTER FLAIR AT HALF SHELL OYSTER HOUSE

BY DONNA CORNELIUS PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

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DINING OUT

Bartender Cat Daluisio prepares a house specialty — a hurricane.

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DINING OUT

here are two kinds of people in this world: those who love oysters and those who don’t. Folks in the pro-oyster faction have a hard time understanding why everyone isn’t wild about these briny bits of heaven, while those in the second category tend to ask questions like, “So … do you just swallow them whole?”

At Half Shell Oyster House, there’s plenty on the menu for both camps.

The Mississippi-based restaurant opened in September in Tuscaloosa’s venerable Brown’s Corner building.

Company president Bob Taylor and vice presidents Brian Rasberry, Kevin Fish and Rob Hefner are the original owners. The first Half Shell, a 90-seat restaurant in Gulfport, Mississippi, opened in 2009.

The Tuscaloosa restaurant is the company’s 11th location and its third in Alabama, joining Half Shells in Mobile and Spanish Fort.

“We love this building,” said Will Turner, the Tuscaloosa restaurant’s general manager. “We came in, saw a vision and ran with it. We loved the space, the corner and being in the heart of Tuscaloosa. This is an amazing town, and it needed good quality seafood.”

Turner said all Half Shell restaurants get their seafood from the Gulf of Mexico and put a priority on preparing it properly.

“We bring a team of trainers in for new stores,” he said. “You have to teach people how to shuck oysters.”

FROM TOP: The steak menu includes Big Easy Surf and Turf, a filet served over a hand-crafted crab cake and topped with béarnaise sauce and jumbo lump crabmeat. • Oysters Orleans are charbroiled over an open flame and basted with the restaurant’s special New Orleans-style smoky Cajun sauce. • Patrons dine at lunch at the restaurant, which serves surf and turf entrees, salads and vegetables.

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DINING OUT

The Tuscaloosa building has four levels, one of which is a mezzanine that overlooks the main floor.

“All our restaurants have a New Orleans-French Quarter vibe with wrought iron, murals, chandeliers and street lights,” Turner said. “The mezzanine here was a real attraction.”

It didn’t take long for Half Shell to draw wholehearted praise from customers. Tripp Summerlin of Northport said he’d eaten at the Half Shell in Mobile and so was happy to have the restaurant in Tuscaloosa.

“I came here the third day they opened,” he said. “I ate three dozen charbroiled oysters the first time. You feel like you’re in New Orleans, but you don’t have to drive.”

Summerlin isn’t alone in his appreciation for the charbroiled oysters. The restaurant’s signature dish, these oysters are cooked over an open flame and doused with a white wine, butter, garlic and herb sauce. Turner said they’re one of the most popular menu items — as are the Oysters Orleans, which also are charbroiled and basted with a smoky Cajun sauce. Oysters Rockefeller are topped with spinach, cream cheese, herbs and Pernod before they’re baked and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Oysters Bienville are covered with an herb, mushroom, crab, shrimp, bacon and Italian breadcrumb mixture; they’re also baked and finished with Parm.

Can’t decide which oysters to order? Thankfully, there’s an Oyster Sampler plate that includes three of each variety. And, of course, you can get shucked-to-order oysters on the half shell as well as fried oysters.

Other customer favorites are shrimp and grits, seafood pot pie, and the Big Easy Surf and Turf, a 6-ounce or 8-ounce filet served over a blue crab cake with balsamic glaze, béarnaise sauce, lump crabmeat and Parmesan cheese.

Po-Boys, a triple steak cheeseburger, and quite a few seafood, steak, chicken and pasta dishes give diners lots of choices. Side dish options include sweet potato crème brulee, grilled asparagus with Gorgonzola butter, and pork-stock turnip greens.

Drinks get special attention at Half Shell; after all, this is a New Orleans-style restaurant. Some of the drinks have a real NOLA flair — Bloody Marys, Hurricanes and the Pink Pearl martini, made with Pearl pomegranate vodka. There’s a full wine and beer menu, too.

Half Shell has lunch and dinner menus plus Sunday brunch selections, including Shrimp and Grits Benedict, Crab Cakes Benedict and Bananas Foster French Toast.

Turner said the restaurant’s decision-makers pay close attention to what’s hot and what’s not. >> FROM TOP: Shrimp and grits features seared cheddar cheese grit cakes smothered in a smoky bacon cream sauce with Gulf shrimp and topped with chopped bacon and green onions. • Hurricanes are a house specialty.

• Redfish Orleans is blackened redfish topped with Gulf shrimp sautéed in the restaurant’s original New Orleansstyle smoky Cajun sauce. It’s topped with jumbo lump crabmeat.

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DINING OUT

IF YOU GO: The Half Shell Oyster House is at 2325 University Blvd. in downtown Tuscaloosa. It’s open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Monday-Thursday, from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Sundays, with Sunday brunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Happy Hour is 3-6 p.m daily.

Call 205-860-7001. For a menu and more information, visit www.halfshelloysterhouse.com.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Half Shell Oyster House is a great spot for meals — or to just drop by for a cocktail. • Will Turner is the general manager of the Tuscaloosa store. • Grilled asparagus with Gorgonzola butter.

“We once took our crab and lobster bisque off the menu and were going to do a soup of the day,” he said. “The guests lost it, and some got a little angry. We brought it back immediately.”

Although Turner, who’s 41, has been with the Half Shell company for a while, this is the first time he’s been involved in opening a restaurant from the ground up. He’s a University of Southern Mississippi graduate and a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he lived with his family before moving to Tuscaloosa in August. Turner said his wife, Mindy, and their three children — Ian Fuchs, 16; Laurie Claire Fuchs, 12; and Liam Turner, 6 — are enjoying life in their new city but that he hasn’t had much time to explore Tuscaloosa.

“I’ve been so busy that I’ve only really been in this building and my house,” Turner said.

“But I did take my management staff to an

Alabama home game.”

He said the Brown’s Corner building was revamped to fit the Half Shell style. Besides the main level and mezzanine, there’s a third floor for large gatherings. It has a stage, DJ booth, drop-down screen and projector, microphone and a long bar. The ceiling, dance floor and shelving have LED lighting.

The basement has been utilized, too, with a prep area and walk-in coolers.

“Most of our restaurants are about 6,000 square feet,” Turner said. “This one has 17,000 square feet.”

Size alone doesn’t set the Tuscaloosa Half Shell apart. Although this is the first Half Shell in a major college town, the owners were well aware that many T-town customers want to keep up with sports, especially on game days.

“We have double the amount of TVs here than at any of our other places,” Turner said.

He said the company soon will open new restaurants in Birmingham; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Madison, Mississippi.

Most oyster lovers know that the old “R rule” — which said you shouldn’t eat oysters during warm weather months — no longer applies.

“It’s an old wives’ tale that you should eat oysters only in months with an ‘R’ in the name,” Turner said. “That’s because at one time, boats didn’t have proper refrigeration.”

On a recent visit to Half Shell, Bill Estes of Tuscaloosa sat at the copper-topped bar to eat Oysters Bienville.

“They don’t come any better,” he said.

Estes said he also likes the restaurant’s Fried Green Tomatoes and Crab Cakes, one of the starters on the menu.

“It’s real simple: It’s all good,” he said. “And the service is outstanding. I’d give this place a five-star rating in a heartbeat.”

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DINING IN

INTO

THE

Venison, quail and other game dishes were on the menu at this CHOM fundraiser

BY DONNA CORNELIUS • PHOTOS BY JAKE ARTHUR

The charcuterie table

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DINING IN

Fried oysters

Fried catfish

he Children’s Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa raised its fundraising game by going wild.

CHOM’s signature fundraiser for years has been the Duck Derby, a rubber ducky-themed and kid-friendly event.

Last year, Liz Obradovich, president of the CHOM board of directors, came up with a concept called the Wild Party for the museum’s grown-up supporters — with a special aim at drawing men to the event.

“My family has always hunted, and my parents used to have a huge walk-in freezer with lots of wild game in it,” she said. “One day, the power went out, and they had to do something with all the game. So they invited friends and neighbors to a ‘wild party.’ ” Obradovich said her parents’ impromptu gathering inspired the CHOM event.

“There aren’t a lot of these kinds of events targeted toward men, and I thought men would enjoy eating game,” she said. “Also, there are a lot of women who just haven’t had game that’s been cooked well.”

The first Wild Party last year at Evangeline’s restaurant featured dishes like duck risotto with andouille sausage and venison stroganoff. The second time around, the Sept. 20 party was at the Indian Hills home of Mary Katherine and Rusty Gibson, and Obradovich headed up the cooking.

Obradovich said she grew up hunting at her family’s Westervelt Lodge.

“I love deer hunting more than anything, and I’m looking forward to going on my first quail hunt,” she said. “I like fishing, too, but often don’t have the time for it.”

She also likes cooking game. She’s concocted chili using venison mixed with pork. She’s also made ground elk sliders with truffles and Marchand de Vin, a red wine reduction sauce.

The Wild Party menu included fried oysters and catfish with grilled lemon and spicy sauce, wrapped shrimp with chili sauce, smoked venison tenderloin in split rolls with horseradish sauce, grilled bacon-wrapped quail with Kentuckyaki Sauce, and venison sausage medallions with marinara sauce.

A charcuterie table held cheeses, wild smoked salmon, wild game sausage, venison jerky, duck foie gras, caviar, wild honey, wild berry sauce, and figs and other fruits.

Special guest Patricia Barnes — the founder of Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls — was on hand to serve her bread pudding to party guests.

Obradovich shared some of her recipes and said that if you’re not a hunter, no worries: You can go online to buy a wide variety of game from all over — from Texas to Montana to Virginia.

She said she’s pleased with the response to the Wild Party.

“It was something that wasn’t already being done, and I think the food set it apart,” Obradovich said.

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DINING IN

WILD MENU: These are recipes for some of the hors d’oeuvres served at CHOM’S fundraising Wild Party in September.

Venison Sausage Medallions with Green Peppers in Marinara Serves 4-6 • Serve this over pasta; Obradovich said her favorite is cavatelli.

INGREDIENTS: • 1-pound package of venison Italian sausage • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped • 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1- to 2-inch squares • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning • 1 jar marinara sauce • Fresh basil, chopped, for serving INSTRUCTIONS: Cut sausage links into 8-9 round pieces.

Firecracker Shrimp INGREDIENTS: • Medium shrimp • Egg roll wrappers • Vegetable oil for frying • Sweet chili sauce

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and peppers; sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until tender and then remove from pan.

Drop sausage in the pan (add a little more olive oil if needed) and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and remaining salt. Cook medallions until they’re brown. Add the garlic and peppers and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Pour marinara over the mixture and cook on low heat 10-15 more minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh basil.

If you’re serving these for appetizers, plan on 2-3 shrimp per person. You’ll need the same number of egg roll wrappers.

INSTRUCTIONS: Peel and devein the shrimp but leave the tails on. Slit the sides of each shrimp to make

it lie flat. Wrap each shrimp in an egg roll wrapper, leaving the tails out.

Heat vegetable oil to

375 degrees. You’ll need enough oil to cover the shrimp — about 2-3 inches.

Fry shrimp about 2-3

minutes or until wrappers are golden brown.

Serve with sweet chili sauce, available at most grocery stores.

>>

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DINING IN

Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Quail Breasts Serves 8-10 • Obradovich is a big fan of Kentuckyaki Sauce, a teriyaki sauce with bourbon. She’s not alone; the sauce is on the menu at highprofile Southern restaurants like Husk in Charleston, South Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee, and at South City Kitchen in Atlanta. You can buy the sauce online through several sources, including www.amazon.com and www.farmtopeople.com. Obradovich said she likes to use Kikkoman’s teriyaki glaze because of its thickness and prefers Zeigler’s bacon. She also serves the quail with Sister Schubert’s square yeast rolls or split rolls.

INGREDIENTS: • 24 quail breasts • 1 bottle of Kentuckyaki Sauce • 1 package of bacon • 1 bottle of teriyaki glaze

INSTRUCTIONS: Marinate quail breasts in Kentuckyaki Sauce overnight.

Wrap each breast with ½ slice of bacon. Grill each breast

about 4-5 minutes per side. Drizzle teriyaki glaze on the breasts.

Serve the quail with more glaze on the side and, if you like, with rolls.

Grilled Venison in Split Rolls with Horseradish Sauce Makes about 20 rolls • Obradovich likes to use Sister Schubert’s yeast rolls for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS: • 2 tablespoons garlic powder • 1 tablespoon steak seasoning • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 teaspoon black pepper • ¼ cup Liquid Smoke • 8 ounces beef broth • 2-3 pounds venison backstraps (see Cook’s Note) and tenderloins • 6-7 strips of bacon • 1 20-count package of yeast rolls, warmed • Horseradish sauce

rolling the meat so it’s well coated.

Marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.

Remove meat from the fridge.

Scoop up the seasonings and rub them into the meat.

Fully wrap the meat in bacon.

Grill to desired temperature, at least 165 degrees.

Remove meat from heat and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Slice meat into thumb-sized pieces and place in rolls.

Serve with horseradish sauce.

INSTRUCTIONS: Mix the first six ingredients.

Cover the meat with the mixture,

COOK’S NOTE: Backstraps are prime, tender meat cut from the thickest end of a tenderloin.

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EVENTS

THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO GO, PEOPLE TO SEE ENTERTAINMENT ‘A Christmas Carol’

Dec. 10-16 • Bean-Brown Theatre Seriously. Take the family. Bring your friends.

Ring in the holidays with this delightful Tuscaloosa tradition gifted to us by Theatre Tuscaloosa. For more information or tickets, visit www.theatretusc.com.

‘Crowns’

Feb. 15-24, 2019 • Bean-Brown Theatre

THIS WINTER.

Presented and acted by Theatre Tuscaloosa, “In this moving and celebratory musical play, the tradition of hats is traced back to African rituals and slavery and forwarded to the New Testament and current fashion.” The discovery — of what leads her Southern female relatives to wear hats — is made through the eyes of a Chicago teen who goes to visit her grandmother in South Carolina. It’s appropriate for all ages. For tickets or more information, go to www.theatretusc.com.

U.S. Navy Band

Feb. 23, 2019 • Moody Music Building Concert Hall Hear and see, in person, this historic band that has been the official musical organization representing the United States Navy since 1925. It performs at presidential inaugurations, state dinners and funerals, and, for those lucky enough to get tickets, an audience in Tuscaloosa.

For more information or tickets, visit https://music.ua.edu/events.

‘Die Fledermaus’

Feb. 28, 2019 • Bryant-Jordan Hall Presented and performed by the University of Alabama Opera Theatre, it bills this show as “one of the most beloved operettas of all time, this charming farce, also known as ‘The Revenge of the Bat,’ contains some of the most popular waltz music ever written.” Go see — and hear — for yourself. For more information or tickets, visit https://music.ua.edu/event/ ua-opera-theare-presents-diefledermuas.

Home for the Holidays Dec. 17 • Moody Music Building Concert Hall

It’s the best of Tuscaloosa coming together for a night of holiday music magic — it’s the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, the Alabama Choir School, the Shelton State Singers and the Prentice Concert Chorale all performing. For tickets or more information, go online at www.tsoonline.org.

‘Bakkhai’

Feb. 11-17, 2019 • Allen Bales Theatre The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance performs this ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides. A god, Dionysus, arrives in Thebes to induce the women to join his cult. For more information or tickets, visit https://theatre.ua.edu.

Hope and Splendor

Feb. 18, 2019 • Moody Music Building Concert Hall The Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra presents Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 and Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis of themes of Carl Maria von Weber.

For more information or tickets, visit www.tsoonline.org.

Pink

March 14, 2019 • Legacy Arena, BJCC Birmingham “Her Pinkness” is coming to Birmingham.

“Raise your glass” and “get the party started” (yep, there are a lot of pun opportunities from Pink song titles) — it’s a night of fun with the pop princess.

Tickets are available on several outlets.

You can always start at www.ticketmaster.com.

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EVENTS

FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Tinsel Trail

Nov. 19-Jan 19 • Tuscaloosa Riverwalk and Amphitheater Who says you can’t get anything for free anymore? The Tinsel Trail has quickly become a favorite holiday tradition for families, friends and visitors. Local sponsors decorate trees for the holidays, where, night and day, visitors can walk along a paved path (it’s wheelchair-friendly!) and delight in the clever displays. On Dec. 9, the Tinsel Trail will present Sunday With Santa (oh, yes, the big guy will be there) from 3-6 p.m. with train rides, a bounce house and more. While the Tinsel Trail walk is free, that event costs $7 for kids and is free to accompanying adults and infants. There’s even a special Pet Night from 3-5 p.m. on Dec. 2 — and have Fido bring his Christmas list. Santa will be there!

And lace up your ice skates. Holidays on the River returns to the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, too! That goes from Nov. 21 to Jan. 21.

New Year’s Eve for Kids

Dan and Shay

March 14, 2019 • Alabama Theatre

Dec. 31 • Children’s HandsOn Museum of Tuscaloosa

The country duo is bringing its act to Birmingham and the Alabama Theatre. Their 2018 release “Tequila” has been a chart-topper, rising to No. 1. Tickets are available through several outlets, among them www.ticketmaster.com.

It’s CHOM’s pint-sized version of Times Square — there’s a balloon drop precisely at 11 a.m. to celebrate the New Year — in this annual kid-favorite event held from 9 a.m. to noon. For the price of admission, the little ones will take part in activities that include designing a party hat, constructing a noisemaker, creating firework art and composing a personal time capsule. For details on this and all the other fun activities CHOM hosts, visit www.chomonline.org or find CHOM Tuscaloosa on Facebook.

Mumford and Sons: The Delta Tour March 23, 2019 • Legacy Arena at BJCC

You can’t not sing along when “I Will Wait” comes on. This fun, talented British group hits folk-rock and alternative rock genres. Tickets will likely go fast, so start looking now. (The band may wait, but the tickets won’t!) On sale through several outlets, among them www.ticketmaster.com.

Dance Alabama!

March 26-30, 2019 • Morgan Auditorium

A biannual treat performed by the University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance. UA students choreograph and dance their own productions. For more information or tickets, go to https://theatre.ua.edu.

American Village Festival of Tulips

Mid-February through March 2019 • American Village Montevallo It’s flower power in all its natural glory.

American Village has planted more than 100,000 tulip bulbs. Check online for exact dates (flowers have their own agenda for popping up) at www.americanvillage.org or on Facebook. The hours for American Village (and your tiptoe through the tulips) are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays noon-4 p.m. during the bloom time.

Annual Discovery Day: Stars Fell on Alabama March 4, 2019 • Moody Music Concert Hall

Billed as an “annual family discovery concert,” Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra and Theatre Tuscaloosa collaborate to “educate and entertain.” For more information or tickets, visit www.tsoonline.org.

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BY DONNA CORNELIUS, THE SNOOTY FOODIE | PHOTOS BY JAKE ARTHUR

Let us entertain you. Or not.

I

f you see me at the grocery store wearing a ratty old T-shirt and minimal makeup, with my hair in a ponytail, and looking as panicked as a young sports reporter who has just asked Nick Saban an ill-advised quarterback question, it’s best not to make eye contact.

It’s not that I don’t want to be friendly. It’s just that, if you see me in this condition, chances are I’m having a party and am in full-blown whatthe-heck-was-I-thinking mode.

You know those people for whom entertaining seems effortless? Whose charcuterie trays are works of art? Who whip up signature cocktails according to their party theme? Who can set tables with mismatched pieces of china and not appear to have shopped at Dollar General?

I know them. I’m definitely not them.

The thing is, I like menu planning and grocery shopping. I like cooking. I like having family and friends over. But put all these things together, and I start running around like a madwoman.

I start out with good intentions. Let’s say we’re having a laid-back family get-together. My husband’s going to smoke pork and chicken. My relatives volunteer to bring stuff like side dishes, bread and dessert. One would think I wouldn’t have to do much else.

But one would be wrong.

My thought process goes something like this: We need another app. Where is that recipe I saw for baked feta with blistered tomatoes? Was it in Bon Appetit? Which issue? Why the heck didn’t I pin it on Pinterest? Ah — here it is on Google. Start a shopping list.

Hmm. Nobody’s bringing a salad. Everybody likes salad. Or should I do slaw? No, slaw is too boring. What if I put fennel in it? Fennel tastes like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice. So maybe I’ll make a salad and slaw.

Where did I put my shopping list? How did it end up in the refrigerator?

We need sauces for the meat. I can get my son, Kirk, to make the sauces because he’s good at that. What will he need? Do I have whole-grain mustard? What can we put the sauces in? I wish I hadn’t accidentally let the cute little spoons that go with my cute little sauce bowls fall into the drain.

Damn garbage disposal.

Do we have wine? Is Spirits open? Who likes red, and who likes white?

Do we have mixers? Are the guys going to bring their own beer or not? Do we have enough ice?

Holler at husband that I am making third trip to grocery store. Get into car. Catch a glimpse of hair in rearview mirror. Go back into house for baseball cap. Get into car again. Get halfway up the driveway. Stop and back up. Go into house yet again for shopping list, which by now has worked its way into the microwave.

And so it goes.

With the holidays upon us, even laggards often are called upon to host something or other.

So those of you who also stress out when you entertain may find it comforting to know that the internet is full of advice for entertaining: • A few days before your event, do an inventory of your dishes, flatware, glasses, linens and serving pieces. Heaven forbid that you should be short one silver platter and be reduced to serving your asparagus on a lovely piece of Chinet.

• Stick to dishes you’ve made at least once before. This is not the time to experiment unless you want your guests to post Instagram photos of your failed efforts with #KitchenNightmares.

• Recruit guests to bring a dish — but make sure you know what they’re bringing lest you end up with three potato casseroles and nary a green bean. Ask them if they’ll need to warm up their food so you can schedule the right amount of oven time.

• Don’t go overboard with the apps, because nobody will be hungry for dinner if you do.

• Make a chart you and any kitchen helpers can check to make sure everything will be ready in time. Work backward from the time you want to eat, and err on the side of allotting too much time to, say, peeling and chopping carrots rather than too little time.

• Make as much stuff ahead of time as possible. For big gatherings, I have lived to regret using recipes that instruct you to “serve immediately.”

• Add a fresh dish like a salad. It will stand out among all the heavy casseroles, and you won’t need your stovetop or oven to prepare it. Plus, it’s really hard to mess up a salad.

• It’s OK to buy things you don’t like to make, like fancy desserts.

Of course, I don’t do any of that. It’s much more fun to freak out and run around my kitchen waving my arms like Kevin McCallister in “Home Alone” when he thought he’d made his family disappear.

But I do really, really like this tip from a reader of The Guardian: “Just when things started to get stressful, oven smoking and pans bubbling, my dad would pour me the strongest gin and tonic imaginable. Then I didn’t care if anyone liked their dinner or not.”

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 @blonderavenous.

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FOODIE NEWS

Breaking WITH SISTER SCHUBERT ame dishes weren’t the only stars on the menu at Children’s HandsOn Museum of Tuscaloosa’s Wild Party. Guests at the fundraiser eagerly lined up to meet one of Alabama’s most famous food folks — and to sample her bread pudding.

Patricia Barnes is the pretty face behind a product that’s been the downfall of many a dieter and a lifesaver for many a hostess. A native of Troy, Barnes started Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls Inc. in 1992. The “Sister” part of the company’s name comes from her childhood nickname, and “Schubert” was her married name at the time she went into business.

“I grew to love cooking through my mother and grandmother,” she said.

Barnes attended Troy State University (now called Troy University) and then studied interior design at the University of Alabama and Auburn University.

“So I went to all three of our wonderful schools in this state,” she said. “I became an airline stewardess and then moved back to Troy. I worked in our family’s furniture business, but the love of cooking and baking was always in my heart.”

Barnes first got into the food business when she started a catering company, which she said “took off like crazy — especially the rolls.”

Her products originally were sold at three grocery

stores. But Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls quickly expanded and in a few years had become a national brand.

“I always believed this was something I was supposed to be doing,” Barnes said. “I never looked back.”

Barnes said she was happy to be at the CHOM fundraiser and to help support the museum for children. After she and her husband, George Barnes, sold their stock in Sister Schubert, they founded the Barnes Family Foundation. She said one of the foundation’s missions is to help educate children and send them to college.

Being in Tuscaloosa for the event gave her the chance to see her son, Evans Barnes, a senior at the University of Alabama. She also has a connection to CHOM through the museum’s director, Charlotte Gibson.

“She and my older sister, also named Charlotte, have always been best friends,” Barnes said. “When they asked me to participate in this, I said, ‘Of course I’ll help.’ ” Barnes and her husband live in Andalusia, a south Alabama city. But she might have lived at least part of the time in the South of France. She and her friend, Betty Sims, and their husbands visited La Pitchoune, Julia Child’s chateau in Provence that’s now a cooking school. >>

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FOODIE NEWS

Giving the dessert the perfect touch, Sister Schubert made and baked the bread pudding herself to serve at the party.

“I always believed this was something I was supposed to be doing. I never looked back.”

— PATRICIA BARNES

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FOODIE NEWS

“We had a wonderful week there learning,” Barnes said. “I slept in Julia Child’s bedroom. I came close to buying that property. But my husband said, ‘We’re not moving.’ ” CHOM party guests not only got to meet and talk with Barnes but also got to sample the bread pudding she’d made that morning. The recipe is from one of her cookbooks, “Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters.” She said another of her books, “Celebrations from the Heart,” is “all about entertaining for family.”

Family traditions are important to Barnes, especially during the holidays. She said her family often gathers in Andalusia, at their beach house or at their mountain house in Highlands, North Carolina.

“Wherever we are for Thanksgiving, I pick a child or a grandchild to decide on the table decorations,” she said. “It may be leaves or turkeys. One year it was pheasants — that was a little harder. And we always go around the table and say what we’re thankful for.”

EPICUREAN

EVENTS CHOM CANDYLAND BREAKFASTS

Dec. 1 • Tuscaloosa Children can join Santa and Mrs. Claus for breakfast or brunch at the Children’s Hands-On Museum of Tuscaloosa, 2213 University Blvd.

Register at www.chomonline.org for one of three sessions: 8-9:30 a.m., 10-11:30 a.m., and noon-1:30 p.m.

The cost is $14 for CHOM members and $15 for nonmembers.

HOLIDAY TABLESCAPES CLASS

Dec. 4 • Tuscaloosa Learn how to give your festive food a seasonal setting at Shelton State Community College’s Holiday Tablescapes class. You can bring items from home and get tips on how to use them. The class is from 6-8 p.m. at the Fredd Campus, 3401 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The cost is $25.

Register at www.sheltonstate.edu.

FOOD AND FARM FORUM

Dec. 7-8 • Nauvoo This Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network event has learning sessions for farmers, gardeners and food lovers. New this year is the Youth Food and Farm Forum for ages 14-21. Both forums will be held at Camp McDowell, 105 Delong Road. For more information and to register for either forum, visit www.asanonline.org.

Sister’s Cinnamon Bread Pudding 6-8 servings • This recipe is from “Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters” by Patricia Barnes. She said she usually leaves out the pecans if she’s making this for a large group in case someone is allergic to nuts.

INGREDIENTS: • 1 pan Sister Schubert’s Cinnamon Rolls • 2 eggs • 8 egg yolks • 1 quart heavy cream • 1 cup sugar • Pinch of salt • 2 teaspoons bourbon or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes • 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped • ½ cup golden raisins

INSTRUCTIONS: Butter a 9x13-inch casserole dish.

Remove rolls from package and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Using a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with egg yolks until light and fluffy.

Add cream, sugar and salt, whisking to combine thoroughly. Flavor custard with bourbon or vanilla extract, stirring until well distributed.

Place rolls into prepared casserole dish and

pour custard over. Make certain that all the bread is wet with custard. Dot casserole with butter and sprinkle with pecans and raisins. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake on center rack until the pudding is golden and center is set, approximately 55-60 minutes. Allow pudding to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

D.A.T.E. WEEK

Jan. 21-26, 2019 • Tuscaloosa Restaurants will offer food and drink specials as well as special menus to encourage romantic nights on the town. Find more information on participating establishments — and even on babysitting services — at www.ttowndateweek.com.

SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

Feb. 23, 2019 • Orange Beach With six seafood booths and six specialty food booths, there’s no reason to leave this 27th annual event hungry. The festival also has children’s activities, entertainment and a car show. There’s no admission charge. The event is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at The Wharf, 4830 Main St. For more information, visit www. gulfshores.com.

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OUTDOORS

BY BECKY HOPF • PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS — AND INDOORS It may be called Soggy Bottom, but this hunting, fishing and just chillin’ spot is a woodland paradise

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OUTDOORS

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: This fall, the stock included 100 elk and 700-800 deer.

• Visitors can fish on two large ponds, which are stocked with Tiger bass, bream and baitfish. • The lodges provide several styles of bedrooms. Each bedroom has its own private bath.

• Brandon Smith walks in one of the many fields at Soggy Bottom Lodge. • The living spaces in the lodge include plenty of seating — and televisions so guests never miss a sporting event — as well as dining areas for gatherings both large and small. • A view of the main lodge.

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I

t is off the beaten path but worth the journey. In the outskirts of Linden, nestled in woods and farmland of Marengo County, is Soggy Bottom Lodge, which bills itself as “Disney for Grownups.”

And for hunters, fishermen, wedding parties and other business and social event-space seekers, that description fits.

“It’s something different every day,” said property manager Brandon Smith, who has been in charge of the facility since it went commercial. “One of my favorite things is meeting the people who come here. I’m proud that everybody leaves here happy. We have a lot of re-bookings. Once people come here, they come back.”

Soggy Bottom started as a private getaway for Demopolis entrepreneur J.R. Rivas. It gets its name from the land — built on post-oak soil that has a very clay-type base. Rivas built the original lodge in 2013 as a vacation home and hunting camp for his family, friends and business associates. It was opened for rental beginning in 2015.

The original lodge has three bedrooms — including a large master bedroom — with a total of nine beds. The floors in the lodge are heart pine. There’s an open-concept kitchen, dining and living room area. The wraparound porch overlooks an outdoor stage as well as a 19-acre pond that, along with being full of Tiger bass, also has kayaks, canoes and small pontoon boats for guests to enjoy.

In 2017, after Rivas bought an additional 300 adjoining acres to go with the 940 he originally owned, a larger, main lodge was completed and opened for guests. It’s called Shack 33, though it’s anything but shack-like. It has seven bedrooms and 39 beds, most of them easily accessible, and ample-sized bunk beds. Each bedroom has its own private bathroom. The master bedroom has an adjoining spa-style bathroom, including a massage table. Massages are among the amenities the lodge offers for guests. >>

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And the amenities are many. The lodges are equipped with Wi-Fi, grills and big-screen televisions. Guests can choose packages that include a stocked kitchen or catered meals.

“The food is number one,” said Brandy Lewis, a Demopolis native who has been the company’s event coordinator for the last year and a half. “The hunting is secondary — and the hunting is great. The filet that our cooks, Auxi Aplicano and Eruma Soto, make is what people can’t stop talking about. All of the food here is really good.”

The catering menu includes full breakfasts. Among the 20-plus items offered are scrambled eggs, quiche, breakfast casseroles, pancakes, waffles and the like. Lunch and dinner entrees range from steaks to chicken, pasta, catfish and salmon. Side dishes are Southern staples — potatoes, green beans, muffins, baked beans, potato salad, grilled vegetables and salads. Pies, tarts, banana pudding and sopapilla are among the many dessert offerings.

The upscale lodging is icing on the cake. But the draw is in the outdoor activities. The camp offers packages for white-tailed deer, duck, quail and pheasant hunting. This fall, the stock included 100 elk, 700-800 deer, and 3,000 ducks. Smith said they book about 75 quail hunts a year.

And then there’s the fishing. Tiger bass, a variation of largemouth bass, fill a 19-acre pond while another, which covers 23 acres, is filled with Tiger bass, bream and baitfish.

There are also shooting ranges for skeet, long-range and pistol shooting.

Guests can choose to bring their own hunting and fishing supplies or they can rent them there.

The lodge is open for business 365 days a year. And business is among its many clients. It’s a popular site for corporate meetings and retreats, particularly during hunting’s off-season months, April through September.

Couples’ retreats, parties, weddings and rehearsal dinners are among the bookings. >>

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“We also host things like kids’ events, hunting dog demonstrations and hunter education classes. And recently we hosted KIDZ Outdoors, a group of about 600 special-needs kids,” Smith said.

At Soggy Bottom, hunting is the main draw, but it’s by no means a requirement.

“We have games like cornhole and washers, canoes, kayaks, skeet shooting,” Smith said. “And everybody’s favorite is our buggy tours. At things like corporate retreats, they’ll meet, eat lunch and go for a ride. A lot of people who come and stay here don’t hunt or fish.”

The lodge offers packages for parties and weddings and hunting and fishing. Packages can include the hunts and lodging for overnight guests or day guests — full and halfday. Things like the full or half-day fishing packages include boat, snacks and drinks.

“We encourage people to just call — we’ll build a package for you,” Lewis said. “We’ve had guests who’ve come from as far away as Australia who found us through our website.

We’ve had a couple of groups from Alaska. And we’ve even had people stay with us who were going to the races at Talladega.”

Said Smith, “We’re constantly adding and changing things.

We want this to be a destination where people will come, have a good time and come back. We try to show them Southern hospitality. That’s important. We meet our guests at their truck when they arrive. We want everyone who comes here to leave with a great memory, a great experience.”

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A deer stand in one of the hunting fields. • Soggy Bottom’s welcoming sign. • A pheasant takes flight. • Property manager Brandon Smith said riding around the grounds is a favorite activity for guests.

About Soggy Bottom Lodge: 18618 Highway 43, Linden • Soggy Bottom Shack: 1281 County Road 33, Linden • Website: www.soggybottomlodge.com • Phone number: 334-295-5430 • Contacts: Brandon Smith, Brandon@soggybottomlodge.com • Brandy Lewis, Brandy@soggybottomlodge.com 34

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OUTDOORS

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The lodge hosts weddings, parties, corporate events and all types of gatherings, both formal and casual. An outdoor stage provides a space for bands. The long porch, with barstools made from saddles, is also a popular gathering spot. • Brandy Lewis fishes on one of the two large ponds, which are stocked with Tiger bass, bream and baitfish. • Guests can take their pick with ranges for skeet, long-range and pistol shooting.

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AT HOME

This Old House THE COLLIER-GRIMES HOME REMAINS A TUSCALOOSA LANDMARK AT 193 YEARS (AND COUNTING)

THIS PAGE: The arched doors and shelves in the drawing room were part of a 1970s renovation.

OPPOSITE PAGE: The spiral staircase is a visual treasure.

BY BECKY HOPF • PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

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AT HOME

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AT HOME

here are so many stories that have taken place inside the walls of this mansion that they could fill a book.

James “Butch” Grimes hopes one day to do just that.

Grimes and his wife, Amy, bought the 7,400-square-foot home — most commonly referred to as the Collier house because of its most famous occupant — in 1993. The massive, white-columned antebellum house anchors the corner of Tuscaloosa’s 21st Avenue and Ninth Street. In its prime, the property once ran an entire block, stretching from Ninth to 10th Street.

In the home, the Grimeses found a space where they could live and each could conduct their businesses. That was part of their wishlist when they were seeking a new home, and their Realtor, Sandra Ray, believed she had the perfect solution. It was downtown and could accommodate both of the couple’s home businesses. Butch is an architect. Amy is an artist and also designs heirloom clothing.

“When our Realtor pointed out this house, we didn’t even consider it at first because it was so big,” Butch said.

But in the end, the house won them over.

“It’s not like any other place you’ll ever live.

When we walked through the house, I remember noting the architectural details, and I was intrigued. You just don’t find things like it,” Butch said.

“We respect the history and the craftsmanship, the high ceilings and moldings. So much of it is handcrafted,” Amy said.

TOP: The back of the house once had a library, two kitchens and a bedroom. The square back stairwell was original to the home but was extended when the house was elevated from one-and-a-half stories to two. • BOTTOM: The first-floor bedroom’s antiques include a bunny that was a childhood toy belonging to Amy Grimes’ late sister.

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AT HOME

Listed in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Places, the grand antebellum home’s history is as impressive as its architecture. The Grimeses’ research has unearthed its legacy, which began in 1821 when a man named James Walker purchased the land where the home stands for $135. Walker is believed to have built the home — which initially started as a one-and-a-halfstory Federal-style cottage. In 1826, the home was sold to Henry Watkins Collier, who served as Alabama governor for two terms, from 1849-53, and was also Alabama’s first Supreme Court chief justice.

The Colliers were important and active in society, and legend has it that when Virginia Tunstall — Tuscaloosa’s first belle and the niece of Collier’s wife, Mary Battle — held her wedding

to Clement C. Clay Jr. at the home in 1843, there were 3,000 guests attending.

Over the generations, the house would pass through four more families before the Grimeses purchased it.

It was used as a home and for social gatherings and charitable causes. Mrs. Pocahontas Whitt, who is believed to have purchased the home in 1901 for $2,050, lived in the house and used it for charity work. She and other women gathered there to sew clothing and put together food and supply baskets for the needy.

Renovations and improvements have been ongoing throughout the home’s nearly 200 years. Each family who lived there took great pride in the home and worked to maintain it and improve it, keeping it the showcase it remains today. >>

FROM TOP: The room opposite Amy Grimes’ sewing studio is Butch’s architecture office. • Amy, who at one time traveled around the country teaching heirloom design, uses a front room for her AG Design studio. • The coffee table came from Amy’s father’s dry goods store and was once a tall table. Butch cut down the feet to create the coffee table.

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AT HOME

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The Collier house is considered a jewel among the homes in Tuscaloosa. • The second-floor balcony was part of the 1835 addition. • The fireplace is original to the home. • The massive architect’s drawing desk has moved with the family, finally finding a perfect location in the second-floor den. It came from a marble quarry in Sylacauga and is more than 100 years old. Amy Grimes got it from her father, who got it from the quarry’s office.

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AT HOME

Collier hired an architect around 1834 to enlarge the home. William Nichols, the Alabama state architect, added a new entrance with a twostory porch roof and central balcony that faces 21st Avenue. The front is supported by six Greek-revival-style square columns. A spiral staircase, designed to match the one in Alabama’s Capitol rotunda, was added in the entry foyer. The additions elevated the home from cottage to mansion by adding a second story.

Many elements of the Collier home are similar to what is now the Battle-Friedman house. The families were related and used some of the same skilled craftsmen. Similarities can be seen in the columns of both homes as well as the staircases.

Jim and Gray Boone purchased the home in 1970 and went to work making improvements on the home. The Boones’ remodel included raising the home by reworking the foundation. They repaired fireplaces, chimneys and plaster and largely modernized the home. The first floor once contained two kitchens, one of which was removed during the Boone remodel. They hired Edward Vason Jones, an architect who worked on the White House during the Nixon administration, to lead the renovations. Jones brought in masons, plasterers and carpenters to live and work in the house during the renovations. >> LEFT: Amy, Butch and their dogs, Edna (beside Amy) and Lucky (with Butch), pose on the dramatic spiral staircase. They like to occasionally sit on the stairs, with a glass of wine, envisioning what previous owners were doing a century earlier — as they did in the year 2000. • BELOW: The cabinets were original to the home but not to the dining room.

Originally located in separate rooms, they were moved to the dining room during a renovation in the 1970s.

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AT HOME

The kitchen’s black-and-white flooring with the white cabinetry creates both style and warmth.

The Grimeses’ home has anywhere from five to seven bedrooms, one half–bathroom and five full bathrooms. They use one of the larger bedrooms upstairs in the front of their house as a den. Their basement has a bedroom, small kitchen, great room with a fireplace, bathroom and Amy’s art studio.

The first floor includes what was once a drawing room where the highlight is a deep-gray marbled fireplace. A wedding was held in that room in 1942. The first floor also has Amy’s sewing studio and Butch’s office. The Greek Revival spiral staircase is the crowning glory of the first floor and the home. The first floor also has a square hall stairwell near the back entrance, giving the home two access points to the second floor.

The beauty and grandeur of the home often draw strangers to knock on their door and request a look inside or to learn more about the home’s provenance. The couple often get requests from couples wanting to hold weddings there or have bridal photos made on the spiral staircase or on the home’s porch.

“People are always coming by,” Amy said.

“When my son Oliver was 13 or 14, someone knocked on the door and asked if we were the new owners of the house. He said, ‘No. We’re just the keepers.’ ”

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LIFESTYLES

Rose Chang, in her very organized kitchen.

Clean

living ROSE CHANG CAN GET YOUR HOUSE — OR OFFICE — IN ORDER

BY BECKY HOPF • PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

t started inside her own home.

In May, Rose Chang reorganized her Tuscaloosa house and felt so good about the results, you might say it was life-changing.

“I felt so peaceful,” she said. “I thought others, too, would feel that way.

So I started this business.”

In running the Evergreen Co., the 2016 University of Alabama MBA graduate has parlayed her business and marketing background into success as a professional organizer. From projects big (a whole home or office) to small (a closet or kitchen cabinets), her work can be life-changing for her clients, as it was for her.

“Before you organize a closet, most times you don’t know what you have. So, once you’ve organized it, it can save you lots of money because you won’t be buying duplicates.” >>

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LIFESTYLES

The same can be said for kitchen pantries or even office supplies.

Chang, who is originally from Shanghai, China, named her new company Evergreen because it’s the translation of her Chinese name, Chang Qing, “which means evergreen,” she says.

She officially started the company in July, and one of her first projects was to organize an entire house. It took her 19 hours.

“Clothes closets are my most-requested service,” Chang said, “but I also get a lot of home offices, kids’ art rooms, storage areas, kitchen and things like that.”

Her initial consultation — an evaluation of the area or space — is free. It’s $40 per hour for the first project — a price that expires on Dec. 31, 2018 — and then $45 an hour for any subsequent projects. Clients call or message her with what they need done. She sends an assessment form to help gain a clearer idea of the client’s needs, then sets up the free consultation.

She works alongside clients at the sessions, teaching organizing skills and setting up new systems for them if necessary.

Once she’s finished, Chang gives the clients a list, printed on a magnet, of tips on how to maintain organization.

“A lot of times it’s a matter of changing your habits; putting things back in the correct place; checking your inventory before you go out and buy something so you don’t have duplicates.”

THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: Chang’s dining table is included in her open kitchen. She keeps the area clutter-free. • Using bins and containers groups like items together and makes for a neat presentation. • The Changs’ living room.

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LIFESTYLES

THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: Closets are one of the most popular areas for which clients request help. Chang suggests editing your clothes often. If you haven’t worn it in a while, chances are you don’t need to hold on to it. • Labeling not only helps you find items quickly, but also serves as an easy reminder to return an item to that spot. • Calming influences are symmetry, such as how the photos on the wall are hung, and the clear floor area by her entrance door.

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LIFESTYLES

Chang’s tips to get — and stay — organized:

• After you arrange your house, decorate. Put lights (under cabinets) in the kitchen to make it brighter. “Happiness is conveyed” with such touches, she believes.

• Keep surfaces clean and clear.

• Declutter: Purge items you haven’t used in a long time, then organize the rest.

• Separate items into different categories so they’re easier to locate.

• Toys are often an issue with kids. Keep your living room floor clear. A floor is not for storage.

Use clear bins and containers so you’ll know what’s in there.

• For every item that comes in, one goes out.

• The refrigerator is a major item that needs to be reorganized often. Purge items that are expired or haven’t been used in a while.

Gather like items together — condiments, vegetables, drinks.

Chang places labels in her refrigerator so items will be returned to the right spot (which also helps when it’s time to shop for groceries.) She includes labels in English for her and her husband and in Chinese for her mother, who visits from China each year for several months.

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LIFESTYLES Contact Rose Chang by calling 205-8600335 or emailing contact@visitevergreen. com. Visit the website at www.visitevergreen. com. Follow the company on Facebook and Instagram @evergreenorganizing and on Twitter @evergreenorganz.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Chang shows how she keeps her own kitchen area organized. • She labels areas in her refrigerator for dual purposes: It shows exactly where to return an item and it helps with the shopping list, knowing what items are needed. • She believes minimal is the way to go, keeping only items that you’ll use.

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DECORATING

Antique hydrangea, sage hydrangea, anemone, alstroemeria, xanadu, stock, scabiosa, privet berries, pittosporum, allium, astrantia, white roses

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DECORATING

Coveringallthe

BY BECKY HOPF PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

VASES With a little imagination, many items around your home can become a beautiful floral display

Pink spray roses, white spray roses, white lisianthus and garden roses

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DECORATING

Peonies, roses, hydrangeas, privet berries, wax flower, Italian pitt (as in previous description), spray roses

K

elly Wilkin has an eye for beauty and an imagination that can create a work of art from the simplest of beginnings. It’s that natural ability that led her to become one of Tuscaloosa’s sought-after florists.

Wilkin is the artist behind Kelly Wilkin Floral Creative, a business she runs — with her staff of one (herself ). She designs and provides flowers for parties, weddings and special events.

“There’s always an occasion to use flowers — you don’t have to be a floral designer or hosting a special event to find a reason to have something pretty in your home,” Wilkin said.

With that in mind, Tuscaloosa magazine challenged Wilkin to come up with arrangements using some vases but also items that might not be considered vases — a lantern … Catstudio travel glasses … a pitcher. She passed the test with flying colors (deep red roses, pure white tulips) providing only the loveliest — and in some cases simplest — of arrangements that we can all try at home.

“I think it’s always fun to look for ways to use things you have in your home for florals. Thinking outside the ordinary vase is fun and unique to your own personal style. I always recommend changing the water every 24-48 hours and trimming the stems to ensure the blooms last. It’s always a great idea to keep a vase on hand because you just never know when you’ll need it … and in my experience, there is always a reason for flowers. It brings beauty and a sense of happiness.”

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DECORATING

Want even more inspiration?

In February 2018, Martha Stewart and Kevin Sharkey released “Martha’s Flowers: A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering and Enjoying.” The book is filled with beautiful photography of her gardens and floral arrangements, but it’s also a great textbook-style source with tips on planting, watering, fertilizing, pruning and growing a great number of varieties of flowers. Stewart uses her own gardens as examples and shares her thoughts on what has worked — and what didn’t — until she got things right.

The book, which is nearly 300 pages, includes photos — and tips — on how to arrange many different types of flowers and what vessels work well to display each bouquet.

Buy a copy or drop by the main branch of the Tuscaloosa Public Library and check out its copy.

Xanadu leaves

Tulips, lisianthus, bells of Ireland, larkspur, pittosporum

White freesia

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DECORATING

Kelly Wilkin sits with one of her creations, incorporating white hydrangea, pink peonies, white roses, scabiosa, privet berries, snow-on-the-mountain greenery, antique hydrangea, allium, astrantia, stock, lisianthus

Reach Kelly Wilkin at 205-764-2292, or find her on social media at Instagram @kellywilkin, by email kgwilkin@gmail.com or on Facebook. She creates arrangements for parties, weddings and special events. Deliveries are available on request.

LEFT: White hydrangea, lisianthus, various roses, pittosporum, lisianthus, alstroemeria • RIGHT: Roses, hypericum berries, various greenery from Wilkin’s yard along with Italian Pitt, lisianthus, stock, spray roses

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11/18/18 8:45 PM

COVER STORY

THE BEST

SOUND IN THE

WORLD Joshua Williams hit all the right notes on the French horn to take home an international award

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COVER STORY

J

BY EDWIN STANTON • PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

oshua Williams didn’t even want to play the French horn.

“It was my last choice, actually,” said the University of Alabama doctoral student. “I wanted to play the trumpet or maybe even the clarinet; anything else but the French horn. I didn’t even know what the French horn was.”

Williams wanted to join the Hillcrest Middle School band, but his dad wasn’t sure he would stick with the program for an entire year. He felt the safer option was for Williams to rent an instrument from Hillcrest instead of buying one.

So, the first-year band member had two instruments to pick from.

“I chose French horn because I didn’t want to carry a tuba around,” he said.

It’s funny for Williams to think back to that moment, considering all he’s accomplished through playing the French horn.

The Tuscaloosa native played as a solo artist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in March and most recently did a twoweek stint with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

“That is huge. That is the equivalent of getting the call to the major leagues in baseball,” said Skip Snead, UA School of Music director and professor of horn.

“And not just playing with them, (he was) the principal horn player.”

In Cincinnati, Williams performed the works of Strauss as well as a ballet production of “Peter Pan.” “My experience with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has been extremely valuable,” Williams said. “The level of artistry and mastery in the orchestra is astonishing. This experience has also shown me that I have the ability and the potential to one day play in a professional orchestra if that is the route I choose to take.”

A series of events led to the opportunity for Williams to perform in Cincinnati. He met the orchestra’s principal horn player during an international horn symposium workshop in Muncie, Indiana, in July.

“We were both featured artists that week (at the workshop),” Williams said.

“She sent me a message saying that a member of the section had an injury so they needed someone to fill in at the last minute — at least for two weeks.” >>

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COVER STORY

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AT HOME

The reason Williams was a featured horn player for the workshop was that in September 2017, he won the International Horn Competition of America in Fort Collins, Colorado. He didn’t perform in the collegiate division. Williams competed in the professional division, against the best horn players in the world.

“The honest truth is I wanted him to play in the professional division because I knew he was going to go out and play well and he was going to sound really good, and the people that are on this judging panel needed to hear Josh play,” Snead said.

“In the 40-year history of the competition, no one had ever won who wasn’t already firmly established as a professional player.

I knew he would go out there and people would say, ‘Wow, this guy is really amazing.

He’s something else.’ I knew he would generate a lot of interest and curiosity of ‘Who is this new person coming onto the scene?’”

Williams went up against 30 pros from around the world and advanced to the round of seven and then to the final three.

“You had Markus Osterlund, the principal horn player in the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and honestly the most likely to win the competition. No surprise to see him in the finals,” Snead said.

“You had Jorge Mejia, the principal horn player in the Bogota Symphony Orchestra in Colombia — well respected, well known. No one was shocked to see him in the finals.

“Then you have doctoral student from the University of Alabama Josh Williams? The fact he separated himself in the final three was amazing. It was extraordinary in every possible sense of the word. It’s the equivalent of an Olympic gold medal or something on that level of achievement.”

The piece Williams played in the final was “The Phoenix Sonata” by Anthony DiLorenzo.

“It ended up working out favorably for me. It was really surprising,” Williams said.

“I definitely prepared to win, but I didn’t know. My thing was just go out and play and don’t worry about anything else.

“It was definitely one of the most memorable performances of my life, for sure.”

Williams didn’t start playing the French horn until the seventh grade. His sisters had played in the band, and he said it just made sense that he follow suit.

Snead said the French horn is not one of the easiest instruments to play and can be frustrating at times. That was not the case for Williams. After renting his French horn for the school band, he went home and

tinkered around with it.

“Once I took that French horn home, I just kind of naturally had a knack for it,” he said. “I don’t really know what caused that.

I took home the book called ‘Essential Elements’ and it had CD tracks of professionals playing pieces for you. I just tried to emulate what I heard on the CD. After that first weekend, I had played through the entire book, which is like a year’s worth of music.”

Williams didn’t have to worry about renting the French horn after that. The next week Williams played for the band director, Dr. Leslie Welker. She thought so much of the young music prodigy’s skills that she bought him a brand-new horn.

Even though Williams had a special gift, he still wasn’t sure he wanted to pursue music. That all changed when he got to Hillcrest High School and began working with the band director, Dr. Andy Pettus, who is now the director of instrumental music at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina.

“My first year at Hillcrest was his first year,” Pettus said. “We started there together.

He was a quiet young man. I noticed pretty quick that he was talented as a horn player.

Horn players are known to miss a note here and there. But Josh was pretty flawless.”

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COVER STORY

Pettus was blown away by how Williams was able to play difficult pieces of music with such ease. He said in his years of teaching, Williams is by far the most talented player he’s had the privilege of mentoring. “(Pettus) really taught me that music is more about emotion than just playing the right notes,” Williams said. “If you can give it your all rather than try to be perfect, it was going to be a lot more convincing of a performance. He really inspired me to take my playing to the next level and also pursue this career.”

Pettus says he isn’t sure what he did to inspire Williams or light a fire inside him to pursue music. His biggest concern was just not to get in his way.

“One thing I did not want to do was screw him up,” Pettus said. “I worked hard to push him and get him to see what the competition was beyond Tuscaloosa County and got him to interact with some of the top people and a feel for national competition.”

That’s when Williams started working

seriously toward a career path in music and began taking private lessons with Snead his junior year at Hillcrest. It was actually Snead’s wife, Angie, who introduced them.

When Williams was in ninth grade, Angie Snead, who also plays the French horn and, like Skip, is a member of the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, was helping out with the horn section at Hillcrest High.

“She had not been out there 20 minutes and my cellphone rang,” Skip Snead said.

“She said, ‘Have you heard this kid out here at Hillcrest High School named Josh Williams?’

She said, ‘This young man is amazing; you guys have got to get together.’ So we did. She actually put him on the radar screen and he ended up coming to the university not long after that.”

At the University of Alabama, Williams received undergraduate and master’s degrees and is putting the finishing touches on his doctorate.

Once he’s done with that, he has some decisions to make about where the French

horn will carry him next. He’s been teaching several classes at UA and has also given private lessons. He’s discovered he has a gift for teaching, which has opened the door to several possibilities.

“Being in professional symphony, that is something I’ve wanted to do basically since I started playing the horn,” Williams said. “The end goal would be to have a college teaching position somewhere while playing in a symphony.”

Snead is confident no matter what career path Williams chooses, he will be successful.

“He is an outstanding teacher. So I would not be surprised to see him end up with a very strong collegiate studio of his own somewhere,” Snead said. “With a doctorate degree in hand and with a lot of teaching experience and to play at the level that he plays, he’s going to have a variety of opportunities to be able to choose.”

Just think if he’d chosen the tuba.

“I’ve never really thought about that, actually,” Williams said.

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ENTERTAINING

g n i ic e i k o o E H T

c

ON

THE

—

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ENTERTAINING

Julia Phifer shares her secrets for decorating sugar cookies that will look too good to eat ulia Phifer follows the cooking videos posted by her friend Becky Satterfield, Birmingham pastry chef and restaurateur. That’s where she first found herself watching a video Satterfield had posted of someone decorating cutout sugar cookies.

“I became fascinated by it,” Phifer said. “That led me to watching more and more videos. I found it so interesting I thought I could do it as well.”

Taking what she learned online — with moments of trial and error — soon Phifer was on her way to becoming perhaps Tuscaloosa’s best-known and favorite cookie artist.

“I’m self-taught,” said Phifer, who first watched those videos in 2015. “I went on Amazon and started with buying decorating tips, icing bags and food coloring. It took a little while with a lot of experimenting to get it down, but eventually I did — but I still experiment new things.”

Her husband, William, jokes that her craft has made their home a frequent stop for the UPS truck.

“We get about a package a week from Amazon,” he said.

“When I started out, I was just baking for friends,” she said. “One of the reasons I like doing cookies is that, even when I don’t think they’re my best, they still make people happy.”

One of the things critical to successful cookie decorating is the recipe for royal icing.

“Royal icing is where I struggle. Some use egg whites, but there are warnings that using the raw egg whites in the icing might not be healthy for pregnant women. I use meringue powder. I actually like that texture better.”

Phifer prefers to keep her recipe for the sugar cookie dough her own secret, but she generously shared her recipes for royal icing. This is used for outlining the cookies, then “flooding” the outlined area with a slightly thinner version of the same icing. And, with photography from our own Gary Cosby Jr., she gives us a step-by-step tutorial on how to make decorated sugar cookies that are sure to be a hit at any party or family gathering.

BY BECKY HOPF • PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Julia Phifer outlines a Christmas tree cookie. • Adding colors can be one of the most time-consuming parts of the process. • A leaf tip helps ensure perfect leaves. She uses #67 for holly leaves.

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ENTERTAINING

Julia’s tips: • Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe (for cutout cookies). She says if the recipe calls for baking soda or baking powder, leave it out.

The cookies will hold their shape better without those products.

• Roll cookies out to about ¼ inch. She “highly recommends” using Silpat or other brand of silicone baking sheets to keep the cookies from burning.

• Cookies must be completely cool to the touch before icing. Place them on the baking rack, and the cooling time will only be 10 minutes or so.

• Cover your workspace — the food coloring in the icing can and will stain.

• Phifer favors Americolor food coloring that she buys on Amazon; one of her favorites is called “Nifty Shades of Gray” which has several shades of gray.

• She uses both liquid and gel food colors.

• Phifer prefers using meringue powder to egg whites to make the icing because she finds it gives the icing a fluffier consistency and dries better.

• Hobby Lobby and Michaels are both good local sources for supplies, including meringue powder, tips, bags and food colors. Because of the volume of cookies she makes, Phifer will purchase a package of 100 bags for $5 through Amazon.

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: For flooding, mix the icing to the consistency of shampoo.

Phifer prefers to use several measuring cups to mix (and keep separate) the icing colors. • In order to keep the icing contained (less mess), use rubber bands. Clips also can be purchased for this purpose. • Thoroughly mixing the food coloring with the icing is essential. • Phifer adds water to the icing using a mist spray bottle to control the consistency. Sometimes using a measuring spoon can leave the icing too runny. The outline icing should be the thickness/consistency of toothpaste.

• Placing the icing bag inside a tall cup or glass makes it easier — and less messy — to fill.

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ENTERTAINING

• Outlining and flooding consistency is all about texture — not too loose or too stiff. When she mixes the food color into the icing, she puts the food color in first, then water. She finds this results in better color (and no streaking).

• Use a #2 tip for outlining the cookies.

• It’s far better to have more icing than less — if you run out of icing and have to make more, it will be challenging to match the exact colors of the first batch.

• Keep a wet paper towel nearby —

to clean hands, tips and kids.

• Leftover white icing will store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Colors will last only a couple of days (before the color changes or streaks).

• Phifer recommends allowing the cookies to dry overnight before packing/storing. When they are dry, layer the cookies. She uses doilies to separate the layers and ensure the cookies don’t stick to one another.

• And, keep in mind her golden rule: “The whole point is to have fun. It doesn’t have to be perfect.”

THIS PAGE, FROM TOP: Phifer uses a scribe tool to smooth out the icing when she floods the cookie. That tool is also useful for popping any air bubbles that occasionally occur. • Let the iced cookie dry about four hours before adding sprinkles or creating something like snowflakes. Use the outline icing to create the snowflakes.

For the sprinkles, which will make the snowflakes sparkle, Phifer puts the cookie on a tray, then shakes the sprinkles onto the (wet) snowflakes. By using the tray, she can collect and reuse any spillover.

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ENTERTAINING

Royal Icing

INGREDIENTS: • 2 pounds powdered sugar • 1/3 cup meringue powder • 1 teaspoon almond extract • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • ¾ cup of warm water (to activate the meringue)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Phifer likes to use food coloring pens (available in stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels and even some local grocery stores, like Publix). Some pens come with two tips, for writing and decorating. She recommends pens for young kids because the pens can be easier to control — not as messy. • Hold the bag at the top. Let the icing fall — don’t touch the cookie or the outline. Do get as close as possible to the outline. The outline will keep the icing from flooding outside the lines. Don’t overflood — too heavy a hand can mess up the design. • The wet-on-wet method allows the tree lights to disappear into the tree branches for a natural look. To achieve this look, outline the tree with green.

Flood the tree with green icing. The colors that will be added as lights should also be flood-consistency icing. Use the scribe tool to drop the icing for the lights.

INSTRUCTIONS: Beat together ingredients for about five minutes or until stiff peaks form.

This will be the icing used to decorate with leaves and flowers because it will stay stiff.

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FASHION

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FASHION

MARQUEE STYLE Who says the stars on the screen are the only ones who shine at the movies? Fashion takes a leading role at the multiplex in scene-stealers like these

FROM LEFT: On Lizzie: Silk top by Go Silk, lilac fur poncho by Monoplaza, gray distressed jeans by Black Orchid, star sneakers • On Jill: Lilac velvet blazer by Zadig & Voltaire, shimmer top by Ramy Brook, black distressed jeans by Moussy, booties by IRO, pave diamond necklace and earrings • On Josie: Lavender Koch set is sold separately, Suzi Roher scarf, metallic sneakers and pave bangles • On Britt: Velvet jumpsuit by YFB, gray pony booties • On Hollie: Reversible silver fox jacket, white silk top by Natalie Busby, leather pants by SPRWMN, black pony heels

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FASHION

On Hollie: Evil Eye top, black leather pants by SPRWMN, black pony booties On Jill: Pearl pink jumpsuit by Xirenna, suede studded booties by IRO On Josie: Black leather bomber by Jakket, black distressed jeans by Agolde, patent leather white booties

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FASHION

by, color ton top by Natalie Bus On Josie: White cot

by SPRWMN, light rt ski r the lea lum block fur jacket, pep dbag by Bene crossbody/fanny han box ofďŹ ce.) pink suede booties, (Lydia shown in the

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FASHION

vet bomber On Josie: Navy vel and white rt sko ing tch with ma by, navy Bus alie Nat by silk top rs ake sne d studde e cami by On Lizzie: White lac s by YFB, ger jog vet vel y IRO, nav rs ake sne ter glit orange n jacket by On Britt: Camo dow muscle tank ll sku e, tair Vol & Zadig y washnav e, tair Vol & ig

by Zad , sherbet Silk Go by s ger jog able silk rs ake sne velvet counter.)

(Kerri is behind the

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FASHION

On Lizzie: Metallic blush set by Ramy Brook, nude lace-up heels, pave diamond jewelry (Laura is the usher, taking Lizzie’s ticket.)

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FASHION

On Britt: Knitted ivory bomber by IRO, camo cami by Zadig & Voltaire, black leather joggers, studded Smiley Face sneakers On Hollie: Evil Eye top, black leather pants by SPRWMN, black pony booties On Lizzie: Black distressed sweater by IRO, leopard joggers

by ATM, patent leather star sneakers

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FASHION

On Hollie: Evil Eye top, black leather pants by SPRWMN, black pony booties On Jill: Pearl pink jumpsuit by Xirenna, suede studded booties

by IRO

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FASHION

On Jill: Natalie Bubsy top with a Sunday Kind of Love duster paired with black Moussy jeans and IRO copper booties

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FASHION

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FASHION

On Hollie: Cream IRO sweater with black SPRWMN leather pants On Josie: Love Shack fancy sweater, Agolde jeans with Andratora sneakers On Jill: Natalie Busby top with a Sunday Kind of Love duster paired with black Moussy jeans and IRO copper booties

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FASHION

CREDITS PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR. CLOTHES, HAIR AND MAKEUP ALL STYLED BY DUKES LOCATION/SCENES STYLED BY BECKY HOPF The fashions and the models were supplied by Dukes Clothier, which now has two locations. It’s at 914 Queen City Ave. in Tuscaloosa (call 205-248-2853) and in Mountain Brook at 53 Church St. (call 205-739-2244).

Follow Dukes on social media on Instagram: @dukesclothier, on Facebook: Dukes, or at its website: dukesclothier.com.

Store manager Hannah Adcox, third from right, put together the models and styles. Models are, from left, Lizzie Bonhaus, Jill Oswalt and Josie Geiger; second from right, Britt Parker; and Hollie Glover.

Special thanks to CMX Hollywood 16 Cinemas for allowing us to hold the fashion shoot at its Tuscaloosa multiplex, and to manager Becky Peterson and assistant managers Kristin Fink, Nate Courtland, Troy McDaniel and Bryant Burnette.

Thanks also to Lydia Fairburn, Kerri Eberendu and Laura Ryland, who allowed us to photograph them on the job as part of the shoot.

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6

INTRIGUING

PEOPLE

Meet six folks who make a difference in our communities

ANNA KATHERINE CABANISS White House receptionist

RUBY BATTLE

Northport historian

LINDA KNOWLES

Assistant to Paul Bryant and Gene Stallings

NICHOLAS BRITTO Veterans’ advocate

YVONNE WELLS Quilter

LUCRETIA PRINCE

Elementary school principal

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 1

Anna Katherine

CABANISS WHITE HOUSE RECEPTIONIST

BY STEVE IRVINE OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BY AMY ROSETTI he first day on a job, in general, tends to get the nerves jangling.

When that job is in the White House, though, it reaches another level.

Anna Katherine Cabaniss, a Tuscaloosa native, laughs when asked about the February morning in 2017 when she first walked into the White House as an employee.

“The first day, it was like, ‘This is really happening,’ ” said Cabaniss, 25. “It was just a really surreal, ‘pinch me’ moment.”

That moment never faded.

“Every day that I walk in this gate, I tell myself to be thankful to be here, no matter what’s happening,” Cabaniss said. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.”

It is an opportunity that, in a way, is a lifetime process for the Tuscaloosa County High School and University of Alabama graduate who, as a youngster at Faucett-Vestavia Elementary School, fell in love with the thought of growing up to work in the political world.

Following her sophomore year at UA,

in the summer of 2013, she was granted an internship in Congressman Robert Aderholt’s office. The next April, she was a student lobbyist and that summer worked as a Member Services intern for the Republican National Committee.

All of those experiences increased her desire to work in Washington, D.C., after graduation, even though her initial plan was to begin law school. That plan changed when she returned to the RNC to serve as the Members Services staff assistant and intern coordinator.

A big part of her first full-time role in Washington was to help prepare for the primary debates. Her team traveled throughout the country for “operations and pre-debate preparations.”

“I got to go to all those and met most of the candidates on the Republican side,” Cabaniss said. “We were (also) heavily involved in the convention. Being on the floor for the balloon drop and all that stuff was kind of surreal. It’s something you always see on TV.” Soon after Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president of the United States, she received the opportunity to work in the White House.

Which brings us back to that first day.

“Number one, I was confused,” Cabaniss said of her arrival. “I’ve been in the White House before on a public

tour. I didn’t know anyone at the Obama administration. I had never been to the West Wing, so I was a little confused and a little intimidated.”

For about seven months, she worked in the Office of Presidential Scheduling. In September of 2017, she began her current role as Receptionist of the United States (ROTUS).

“I am the first face people see when they come to White House for meetings with the president or senior staff,” Cabaniss said. “I greet them, welcome them. There are a lot of times that people get there and have to wait quite a while. I keep them entertained, chat with them.”

Most of the visitors aren’t people you’d see on a public tour of the White House.

Some are celebrities — rapper Kanye West was in recently — and some are powerful political and business figures. There are leaders of other countries and people Cabaniss has read about in textbooks.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, an Auburn graduate, came by one day, giving her a chance to start a friendly Iron Bowl argument.

That’s just a start of her duties in a job that really has no typical day.

“We get the president and vice president’s schedule the night before, so you can anticipate what’s coming and who is going to be coming in,” Cabaniss said.

“But things are always popping up, always

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happening, so you really don’t know what the day is going to hold. I’ve never wanted a regular 9-to-5 desk job. You never know what kind of adventure you’re going to get into that day.”

Her Washington adventure — at least this chapter — soon will close. Cabaniss, who is engaged to be married to Jake Baxley next May, is moving back to Alabama, where she plans on fitting a 30-hour workday into a 24-hour day. She’ll start her own political event planning business and owns an independent Build-a-Bride boutique that was started by prominent wedding dress designer Heidi Elnora.

“When I go home for Thanksgiving (2018), I just won’t come back,” Cabaniss said. “It’s bittersweet, but I’ve been in D.C. for three years now. If I stay any longer, D.C. sucks you in. It’s time to come back South. I miss Alabama, I miss Tuscaloosa. I’m excited to get back and have a little stability.”

She’ll bring home a suitcase full of cherished memories.

“I think just being part of history and getting to work in the 2016 election cycle was huge,” Cabaniss said. “I won’t ever forget that year. Getting to work in the Trump administration, people may say what they want, but I have really enjoyed working for President Trump and Vice President Pence. It’s been an honor, being a part of the day-to-day operation and to work so closely with their top aides. It’s just being a part of something bigger than yourself, as well. It sounds cliché but it’s true. We’re doing things every day that affect the American people and affect people around the world.”

Name: Anna Katherine Cabaniss Age: 25 Hometown: Northport Personal: Parents, Jeff and Stacy Cabaniss; fiancé, Jake Baxley.

People who have influenced my life: My dad, for instilling in me a strong work ethic and the inspiration to start my own business; my mom, for always having words of encouragement and being a voice of reason; Tory Sendek, for giving me my first job at the RNC and hiring me at the White House; numerous teachers from Tuscaloosa County High who pushed me outside my comfort zone and inspired me to exceed expectations.

Something people don’t know about me: I almost went to law school, but moved to D.C. instead!

My proudest achievement: Being a part of the 2016 election cycle and having a role in each Republican primary debate, the Republican National Convention and the Presidential Inauguration, followed by a job at the White House.

Why I do what I do: Serving my community and others has always been a driving motivation in my life. It is a privilege to work in President Trump’s administration as ROTUS and serve the president, White House staff and guests from around the world every day in my capacity.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 2

Ruby

BATTLE NORTHPORT HISTORIAN

BY KELCEY SEXTON PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

R

uby Battle has lived nearly every one of her 100 years in Northport. She has survived the destruction of a tornado, taught several generations of students and been named a pioneer and historian — all in the city in which she was born and raised.

She and her twin sister, Ruth, who died at 65, are also believed to be the first set of African-American twins born in the city.

“I love Northport because it’s the first place I’ve ever known,” Ruby Battle said. “Of course, I can live anywhere with anybody, because I can get along with anybody, but I love it because it was my mother’s and daddy’s hometown.”

In 1932, when Battle was 11 or 12 years old, a tornado demolished her family’s first home on 15th Avenue, then known as “Tin Top Alley.”

“It wiped that house away, all but the floor,” she said.

She remembers her father yelling to her mother, “Get the children and get in the hallway!” Battle’s father and brother took shelter in the outhouse.

“Just as we got in (the hallway) and got seated, you could look through the windows, and we saw the tornado coming,” she said. “But there wasn’t anything we could do. We sat there, and it sucked

everything out of this house — every, every, everything.”

After the tornado passed, Battle went to stand and felt pain run through her leg as a broken bed slat slashed through it.

“My daddy said, ‘Get that stick out your leg!’ I said, ‘I can’t get this stick out my leg!’ ” So he reached down and pulled the splintered piece of wood from her leg. She still has the scar.

Battle refused to go to the hospital, but walked to her sister’s home nearby. “After he pulled that stick out of my leg, I started walking, and I left (the house) before anybody else did.”

The family rebuilt their house in the spot where the previous one stood. In fact, the only time Battle did not live on 15th Avenue were the few years she was married.

“Every one of those older homes in Northport, I could tell you who lived in every one because I’ve been in every one of them, just about.”

Growing up, she and Ruth helped their mother wash families’ clothes to earn money. Battle babysat for residents as well, adding that several became like her family.

One of those residents, Roy Faucett, offered her financial aid while she was in school at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville. She was later able to repay Faucett through her teaching income and with a little help from her twin sister.

“I had my mind set on getting a college degree so much, you wouldn’t believe it, I didn’t have a boyfriend until I got in college,” Battle said. “I was determined to get

my education, and I got it.”

She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education from Alabama A&M. During her college years, she met her future husband, serviceman James Battle.

After they were married, she moved with him to Seattle, where she stayed for a few years. But when she became pregnant with her first child, she moved back home.

“I was always my mother’s sickly child when I was young,” Battle said. “I had asthma. My grandma and everybody thought I could not have a baby away from them, and so they encouraged me to come home to have my baby.”

After her divorce, she stayed in Northport, where she gave birth to James and, later, Marilyn Elaine.

Battle stopped shy of earning her second degree at the University of Alabama when her mother fell ill. She knew she was needed at home.

“I said that second degree and a little bit of money’s not worth anything,” she said.

“I gave up the college, and everybody kept begging me to go back.” But soon enough, she said, she was caring for her mother’s three sisters, too.

Battle taught for 34 years at various elementary schools in the Tuscaloosa County system, including Matthews and Holt. When she was transferred to Brookwood, the principal placed her in charge of specialized reading workshops.

“Out of all those years I taught, I kept a paddle in the room, but I never used it,” she said. If she punished the students, “it was a

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loving, because I wanted to see them succeed.”

She recalls spanking only one boy, who had ventured to a nearby cesspool at Brookwood one day during recess.

“I lost my everything,” she said. “The Lord told me what to say. I said, ‘Look here, do you want me to call the fire department, an ambulance, your mama and your daddy, and all your sisters and your brothers when you fall in over there?’ I said, ‘I don’t!

I’m going to be crying.’ ” She would advise troublesome students on how to behave, then let them talk, sometimes finding out their problems in school stemmed from issues at home.

“I didn’t scream. I didn’t holler. I just talked. I see them now, and they just hug me to death.”

After Battle retired from teaching, she substituted in the county for 15 years until an injury from a fall kept her from continuing.

She’s still making contributions to Northport as a charter member of the Friends of Historic

Northport, supervisor emeritus of the Las Amigas Junior Federated Girls’ Club and a devoted member of First Baptist Church in Northport.

“Everybody’s always called me for different little things, and I was always willing because I love to work,” she said.

The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama named Battle Northport’s “Historian/Pioneer of the Year” at a ceremony in October 2017.

“That was a great surprise,” she said. “They called us (the award winners) all to take pictures, to get in a row, and everybody said, ‘You were really popular, because they were lining up to take pictures of you.’

My line was the longest!”

Wherever she goes, she often comes across someone she knows — be it a former student, community member or someone from her church.

“Everybody in Northport knows Ms. Battle,” she says with a laugh.

Name: Ruby Battle Age: 100 Hometown: Northport Personal: Clara Herring Hamilton, mother; Ernest Hamilton, father; Ella Mae Roper, sister; Ruth Hamilton Davis, twin sister; Sarah Hamilton Thomas, sister; Oralean H. Hamilton, sister; James H. Battle, son; Marilynn Elaine Battle, daughter; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

People who have influenced my life: My mother and father; people that we worked for, (including) the Faucetts and the Fishers; Lola Rice (who helped make our uniforms); my teachers.

Something people don’t know about me: I love to cook. I love to cook most anything. The Northport historical

group has bake sales every year, and I always bake. The historical folks say my best thing is pecan pie, and I love that sour cream pound cake.

Those are my two favorites.

My proudest achievement: I am so proud, because I’ve lived the life and I still have the respect of all the people that I’ve come in contact with during my life, young and old. Being with the (Las Amigas Junior Federated Girls’ Club), their theme was “to instill finer womanhood,” and I feel like I’ve done a good job there.

Why I do what I do: One thing that makes me proud (to have done what I have) is that I’m well-loved. … I can’t go anywhere without getting hugs from former students and from church members.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 3

Linda

KNOWLES S ASSISTANT TO PAUL BRYANT AND GENE STALLINGS

BY BECKY HOPF PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

he was 20 years old, recently married and new to Tuscaloosa. She was in search of a job to help with expenses while her husband returned to college to finish his degree.

“I put in applications all over town,” Linda Knowles said.

The first callback she received was from the University of Alabama. There was an opening for a receptionist in the athletic department which was located then at Moore Hall. She accepted.

“Forty-five minutes later, Phifer Wire called to offer me a job,” Knowles recalled.

“But I had already taken the job at Alabama.”

Timing. Knowles is a great example of its power. The year was 1961. She stayed for 32 years, leaving only for a short break, in 1964, when she was pregnant with her daughter and she and her husband, Bobby, moved to Mobile. They returned to Tuscaloosa in 1970. She asked if there were any openings in the football office.

They were only too happy to take her back.

Knowles remained a key member of

the Crimson Tide’s staff, working with the assistant football coaches and eventually two of college football’s most legendary coaches, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Gene Stallings. She continues to work for Stallings, long after they’ve both retired from their UA football roles.

Working with the assistant football coaches, her job entailed creating the wristbands with plays written on them that quarterbacks wear, and typing up the player rosters and practice schedules, among many other duties.

“I thought I’d be a pretty good quarterback after doing all that,” she jokes. “I knew all the plays.”

Knowles became Bryant’s secretary around 1979 or 1980 and worked with him until his death. His sudden passing in January 1983 left her stunned.

“When he left that afternoon, Coach Bryant was fine,” she recalled. “I heard on the news that night that he was in the hospital. I called Billy Varner (a UA police officer and longtime driver and assistant to the coach), and he said he thought it was something he ate — sausage — and that Coach just had an upset stomach.

When I went to work the next morning, Coach Bailey had already been to the hospital and returned, but he got a call to come quickly. The news (of Bryant’s death) spread all over town. You can

imagine the nurses and staff were telling everybody because it was so shocking. I knew his health was not good. That fall, he willed himself to work during that season.”

Knowles said working with Bryant was very much all business, though there were glimpses of his more human side.

“My desk faced the inside door to his office. One day I was typing, and movement caught the corner of my eye. A mouse had run from his office door. I got on top of my desk and called Frank Dykes (UA’s facilities manager).”

Dykes lined up exterminators to come in while Bryant was on the practice field, and Knowles had to tell Bryant about the mouse and that the exterminators would be coming.

“He was sitting at his desk. He shuffled some papers and, without looking up, he said, ‘You know if there’s one, there have to be others.’ I thought that was a funny side to him — he didn’t like mice either.”

Her role and relationship with Stallings were different. She’d known him since he was an assistant coach and was working with him in 1962 when his son, John Mark, was born with Down syndrome.

“He was very inclusive,” she said of the coach. “And any time being with Johnny was just a special time. What a joy Johnny was. He made me a better person.”

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She had been working for Gerald Jack in football recruiting when Stallings decided to make a change on his staff and hired Knowles as his administrative assistant.

To this day, even though Stallings retired after the 1996 season, and she a few months later, she continues to arrange his travel, speaking engagements and scheduling. He lives in Paris, Texas; she, in Tuscaloosa.

“People love him. I’ve told him if I’m ever sick in the hospital, he better come visit me because I know the doctors and nurses will pay attention to me then,” she said, laughing.

Her job was never easy. She arrived at work by 7:45 each morning and rarely left before 6 p.m. — typically five-and-ahalf days a week — and worked through lunch. Bowl games simply meant moving the office to that location and working all day, starting around 7:30 a.m. Vacation could be taken only in the few weeks after the season or before the preseason. Though she was a part of seven national football championships

at Alabama, she never experienced a tailgate until she retired.

“But I enjoyed what I did. It’s really all I knew. When I was little, maybe 8, 9 or 10, I had a shoebox with an alphabetical card file. I always wanted to be a secretary. I always loved the organizational part.”

Bobby, her husband, played a key role as well. A computer analyst, he operated the electronic scoreboards for BryantDenny Stadium as well as Coleman Coliseum events.

At 78, she is still going strong. For the past 22 years, she’s worked part time as administrative assistant to UA’s Faculty Senate.

Her photo for this story was taken at the Paul W. Bryant Museum in front of a display of Coach Bryant’s office, which she said is an accurate duplicate. As she walked in, a video was playing and Bryant’s voice filled the room.

“When I walked in and heard Coach Bryant’s voice, it takes me back. Working there will always be among the best part of my memories.”

Name: Linda Knowles Age: 78 Hometown: Anniston Personal: Husband, Bobby Knowles; children, Kevin, Ken, Kathy and Kreg; grandchildren, Kelly Hudson, Courtney Walker, Seth Knowles; great-grandchildren, Rowe and Seeley Johnston; mother, Geneva Gallahar, who is now 96.

People who have influenced my life: My mother, Coach Paul Bryant, Coach Gene Stallings and Johnny Stallings; my faith.

Something people don’t know about me: I wanted to play quarterback for the UA football team.

My proudest achievement: Being a wife, mom, grandma and great-grandma.

Why I do what I do: I always knew I wanted to be a secretary — I had an alphabetical card file in a shoebox when I was 8 years old.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 4

Nicholas

BRITTO VETERANS’ ADVOCATE

BY TIFFANY STANTON PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

R

etired Lt. Col. Nicolas Britto has lived in Spain, Cuba, New York City, Boston, Miami and Puerto Rico, among other places throughout the world.

But possibly the biggest culture shock he ever experienced came when he moved from military life to a life in the civilian South. Time just wasn’t the same.

In the Army, he says, you’re late if you arrive to a 6 o’clock event at 6 o’clock.

That’s when activities begin, and a long military career had Britto trained to arrive at least 15 minutes early to any function.

He learned pretty soon after retiring to Tuscaloosa that this wasn’t the case everywhere, however.

“People here are very laid-back,” said Britto, who as a 15-year-old in Cuba narrowly escaped conscription into Castro’s army. Instead, he served in the United States’ military for decades, first in the U.S. Air Force and then, after starting as a second lieutenant in 1975, as a public affairs officer in the U.S. Army.

These days, it’s not unusual for him to field panicked calls from military event

speakers who arrive 15 minutes early to an almost empty event space and assume they have the wrong address. “I tell them, ‘No, you’re in the right place,’ ... things just get done when they get done.”

And Britto’s managed to get plenty done in the five years since he retired to Alabama, despite Tuscaloosa’s slower pace.

He joined the Salvation Army’s advisory board, serves as the local representative for Alabama Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve and became a Mason.

But founding and leading the West/ Central Alabama chapter of the Association of the United States Army, a national organization that serves as “the voice for the Army” by supporting and promoting veterans in their communities, is what keeps him busy most days.

The chapter, founded in 2016, now has 150 members. Britto says the group is hard at work improving the community while also calling attention to the veterans who’ve made Tuscaloosans’ everyday freedoms possible.

Along with various events like ceremonies honoring local businesses’ support of the military and the U.S. Army’s annual birthday celebrations, Britto and his chapter of AUSA recently hosted a luncheon honoring and featuring Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Capt.

Gary Michael Rose. Before that, the chapter organized a job fair that attracted close to 2,000 potential employees and about 68 businesses, awarding approximately 75 jobs in its first hour. But the AUSA’s most visible achievement is an empty chair that can be found on the second floor of Tuscaloosa’s Federal Building and Courthouse.

Surrounded by flags and a photograph of Pete Lemonis, who was a prisoner of war in World War II and went on to run a popular Tuscaloosa restaurant after his release, Tuscaloosa’s first POW/MIA Chair of Honor confronts courthouse visitors with the sacrifices made by Lemonis and other area veterans and their families.

Britto says more than 200 people attended the ceremony installing the chair in the building’s main gallery, including Lemonis’ daughter, Helen Lemonis McCulley; Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie Adkins; and Marine Gen. Charles Krulak.

McCulley died less than a year after the installation, and Britto says he’s glad she lived to see her father’s sacrifice honored.

“I think Helen was in her late 70s when we unveiled the Empty Chair, and it was great because I think it was the first time her father was ever honored by anyone,” he said. “And we have to remember what he did.”

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Such public reminders are the focus of Britto’s retirement years.

“We don’t want to forget our veterans,” he said. “Our veterans are some of the people that created this country, and a lot of them gave their lives for us to be able to go to the movies or have a football game. We want the younger generations to remember their sacrifices.”

Britto honed his promotional abilities during his years as a public affairs officer dealing with an occasionally unfriendly press.

In particular, he recalls a 2001 United Nations peacekeeping exercise in Salta, Argentina, when he fielded pointed questions about ongoing American protests.

He said a foreign journalist told him it looked bad for the United States, prompting a retort he thinks changed the tone of the event’s coverage.

“My response was, ‘I completely

disagree — I think that is democracy’s power. They have the power to burn tires and demonstrate every single day, because it’s a democratic government — what do you think would happen if they went to Cuba and tried to burn a tire in the middle of the road and say something about Castro?’” he said. “And I think that out of 20 articles, we had probably one negative.”

Britto said he’s found another local POW and hopes to unveil a second POW/MIA Chair of Honor soon. He also plans to make the job fair an annual event. And he says he knows his goals can be achieved, because while the residents of his adopted hometown might see time differently, they are generous.

“In bigger cities, you’ve got more people and more funds, and here it’s more limited, but it gets done,” he said.

“If you want to do something, you can get it done, because there is a good group of really supportive people here.”

Name: Nicolas Britto Age: 66 Hometown: Camaguey, Cuba Personal: Wife, Paula Britto.

People who have influenced my life: My grandfather, Petro Lopez, who taught me persistence and encouraged my faith in God and myself.

Something most people don’t know about me: That I left Cuba two days before I was going to be drafted.

My proudest achievement: When a local resident came up to me at our job fair and said he’d been looking for a job for two years and finally got one there.

Why I do what I do: It has to be done.

We have to keep the flame burning.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 5

Yvonne

WELLS QUILTER

BY KELCEY SEXTON PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

T

uscaloosa’s bicentennial quilt couldn’t be in better hands than those of celebrated quilter and folk artist Yvonne Wells.

In honor of Druid City’s 200th birthday, Wells, also a member of the city’s bicentennial event committee, collaborated with four other artists to bring the history of Tuscaloosa to life on fabric.

As the events committee began planning what the bicentennial project should be, members brought idea after idea to the table until Wells said, “Well, what about a quilt?”

“They all looked up and said, ‘Wow, that would be wonderful,’ … and that’s how that got started.”

The quilt consists of four 2-by-4-inch panels, created by Tonyia Tidline, Rebecca Booker, Sharron Rudowski and Amy Echols. The panels represent the north, south, east and west sections of Tuscaloosa, respectively.

“It was a process we had and that we wanted to use so that we would try to incorporate not only me, but other members of the community,” Wells said.

The goal was for each panel to feature something that has been in Tuscaloosa

for 200 years. Wells also asked the artists to add something of themselves to their section.

“Each block had a piece of them in there, which was nice,” she said. “I asked them to put an old piece in each section, which would indicate the years in the past, and put a new one in that would say future or present.”

The Black Warrior River is one feature that runs throughout the bicentennial quilt, from one end to the other, Wells said. Trees pop up in each section as well, to signify the meaning of Druid City — Tuscaloosa had so many water oaks, it was named after an ancient Celtic people who worshipped trees.

Once the panels were finished, “it was my job to bring it all together and make it tell the story,” she said, “so it could be Tuscaloosa all in one.”

And Wells is very familiar with Druid City. She was born in the western section of town and still lives there with her husband.

“I know nothing but Tuscaloosa,” she said.

She taught physical education in the Tuscaloosa City Schools system in 1965 until she retired in 2000. In 1979, she started to create quilts in her spare time and has continued to do so for nearly 40 years.

“When we added onto our house, we put in a fireplace, and the fireplace just

wasn’t warm enough. So I said, ‘I think I’ll make a quilt.’ So I made a small quilt, and from there is how I got started. But how I got to this place I am now, where ‘everybody knows your name’?”

She thinks it started with her first “Best of Show” win at Kentuck Festival of the Arts in 1985, something she was not expecting.

“I said, ‘Something is going on wrong here,’ ” Wells said with a laugh. “I did, I did, because I was comparing myself to all those wonderful artists that are out there.

But I soon discovered it wasn’t so much as to how mine looked, but what it said. I’m a storyteller.”

But it hasn’t all been praise.

“A lot of (quilters who came to her booth at Kentuck) said, ‘My Lord, what has happened here?’ ” she said. “That’s what the real quilter was saying at that time. ‘You’ve got to go take a class and learn how to quilt.’ That was 1985.”

Since then, her artwork has taken her overseas and earned her numerous awards, including Kentuck’s “Best of Show” countless times. One of Wells’ early 1980s quilts, depicting the story of “Noah’s Ark,” is on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. She was also the first artist to have a solo exhibition at the Rosa Parks Museum when it opened in Montgomery, and she’s working on another project for the museum.

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Name: Yvonne Wells Age: 79 Hometown: Tuscaloosa Personal: Husband, Livingston Wells; children, Dewillican Wells Middleton, Majihus N. Wells; four grandchildren.

People who have influenced my life: My mother; the ministers at my church, Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church; community people I looked up to, like McDonald Hughes, the principal at my school and also my employer; and educators, I can’t say one that stands out more than the other — they all were people whom I had a lot of respect for.

“People ask how I keep things so neat — I don’t,” Wells said of how she might begin creating a piece. “Everything is scattered on the floor, which gives me energy. Because of the place they’re lying down, the color or the shape — all that is talking to me. When I get up to start to create, I have no problem just reaching down and picking up. Some people say I’m crazy.

There’s that thin line between crazy and brilliant, so I take the other side of the line,” she said.

Wells said she doesn’t follow a certain process, but “I have to see it before I make it.”

“I have to feel it, and if I don’t feel it, I’m not going to do it. What my head sees, my heart feels, my hand creates.”

She is documenting all of her creations with the help of someone from the University of Alabama. They have counted and documented close to 600 quilts so far — and they’re not finished yet.

“But that (number) doesn’t matter,” she said.

“If I think of something, it’s, ‘Oh, I’ve got to go make this.’ I’m a folk artist, so it’s spontaneous.”

Wells said her quilt sizes vary and that she likes to incorporate different materials into her pieces to make the process that much more

interesting. In the past, she’s used items such as plastic bags, screen wire, fishing line and even dental floss.

“I use what I have and make it work,” she said, “and it works for me, and I’m satisfied with that. I don’t try to do like anybody else. I want it to be Yvonne, and that’s what I always want. If I make it, it’s right.”

When she was overseas in France, she purchased some buttons from a garage sale on the street in front of her hotel room, and some of those buttons can even be found in the bicentennial quilt, she said.

The finished product won’t be seen by anyone except the event committee members until its unveiling at the official kickoff event in January 2019 at the Tuscaloosa River Market.

“It’s the grandest feeling (to be a part of ) because this is history, and I always like to be a part of history,” Wells said, “and it’s a teaching tool. Being a teacher, you always want to do something that will last for the next generation to see. It’s a history lesson, and plus it’s also a piece where somebody might say, ‘Maybe I could do something like this as well.’ All of that is about learning, and that has been the greatest thing, being a part of this.”

Something most people don’t know about me: I got to the fifth grade in piano, and that’s just so off the beaten path for me. I finally found out after the fifth grade that I couldn’t do that any longer because I started to improvise and the teacher would not allow that. You needed to follow the book, so I left that alone.

My proudest achievement: There are several, but the fact that I have achieved the acclaims I have in this art is kind of mind-boggling because I didn’t start out to do this.

I didn’t start out to get recognized.

I just started out to create, and someone saw it and that’s how it exploded.

Why I do what I do: Because I enjoy it and because I’m trying to be a lesson for the future. I’m trying to let them see that you can achieve anything if you work at it and let them know it doesn’t come the first day. It’s a process you have to follow, and you can’t always give up because it didn’t do right the first time. That should be your incentive to move on if that’s what you want to do.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 6

Lucretia

PRINCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

BY STEPHEN DETHRAGE PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

A

s the principal of Crestmont Elementary School in Northport, Lucretia Prince’s message to the educators she leads is simple.

“We must be purposeful and intentional that when we speak over our students that we are speaking those things that are going to uplift them and push them toward greatness,” Prince said.

For Prince, the message is more than just jargon. When she was a senior at Hillcrest High School in 1997, Prince failed to pass the math portion of her exit exam by a single point, and the day she found out she would not be allowed to graduate with her classmates, two teachers there took her aside to talk about it.

“One of the individuals who worked there just wasn’t as encouraging and said that everyone doesn’t go to college and I might not be college material,” Prince said. “But there was another teacher

named Bobbie Blossom, and I’ll never forget her. She pulled me to the side and said, ‘Years from now, people will forget that you didn’t graduate with your class, but they’ll always remember what you did going forward.’ That was my motivation to continue going after my dreams and not give up, because I knew what was inside of me.”

Prince, who was a star basketball player, took summer classes and was able to pass her graduation exam before heading to Faulkner State Community College on an athletic scholarship. She transferred to the University of Alabama, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. A master’s degree from the University of West Alabama followed, then Prince received her Ed.S. and Ph.D. at Nova Southeastern University in Broward County, Florida.

She taught at Crestmont for 11 years, then took jobs at Francis Marion High School in Perry County and at Sipsey Valley Middle School before returning to Crestmont in 2017 to become its principal.

Prince said Blossom’s compassion and her mother’s work ethic pushed her to

never give up and to eventually begin her own career in education.

“I knew that if Ms. Blossom had an impact on me, I started thinking about how many kids out there could be in the same situation I had been in but didn’t have that positive person in their lives,” Prince said. “As a teacher, I came in with that mindset, but then I wanted to be an administrator because I felt like I would have so much more authority over more teachers and I could have an impact on them and in turn they could have an impact on their students.”

Prince said educators should be their students’ biggest cheerleaders, and work to believe in them and encourage them even when no one else does. She said that when teachers affirm their students as often as possible, those students have a shot at overcoming even the most difficult circumstances at home.

It shouldn’t matter, Prince said, if students live with one parent or two, or with their grandparents, or if their parents are in prison. Those children still have the potential for greatness, and Prince wants educators at Crestmont and all around

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the country to repeat that message loud and often.

“My testimony to other individuals is to never allow anyone to tell you what you cannot be,” Prince said.

Prince has authored two children’s books, “Do You Still Love Me?” and “Whatever!” — a fictionalized a fictionalized account of the time she stood at the proverbial crossroads and chose to actualize her dreams instead of giving up on them.

She is also the founder and CEO of I Dream Big Academy, a summer program for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Prince said her entrepreneurial effort gives young students something to do during their summer break and focuses on academic enrichment and personal motivation.

When Prince founded the academy six years ago, just 15 students were enrolled. In 2017, she said, that number had grown to 250.

Prince said it all comes back to that day 20 years ago when a history teacher reminded her that she didn’t have to give up.

“When Ms. Blossom talked to me, I could just feel the compassion that she had for me, and I knew she really believed in me, that this was just an obstacle,” Prince said. “When you have somebody that’s behind you encouraging you, even when you don’t see it, they can see it in you and they can open your eyes to see that person that you really are.”

Name: Dr. Lucretia Taggart Prince Age: 40 Hometown: Tuscaloosa Personal: Husband, Calvin Prince; children, Icsis Smith and India Smith; mother, Mary Taggart.

People who have influenced my life: My mother, Mary Taggart.

Something people don’t know about me: I love to shop and travel.

My proudest achievement: Completing my doctorate degree.

Why I do what I do: I do what I do simply because it is what I was created to do. I believe that I was created to encourage and empower those whom I come in contact with. I enjoy having the opportunity to push others to be great and to go after their dreams.

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ON THE SCENE

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CASINO CABARET

AUGUST 24, 2018 NORTHRIVER YACHT CLUB PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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WHITE GALA ON THE BLACK WARRIOR AUGUST 23, 2018 TUSCALOOSA RIVER MARKET PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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Pamela Foster, Stephanie McClure and Angela Hammond Carrie Laney and Brett Laney Joel Dorroh and Lynn Brooks Dorroh Roy Holmes and June Holmes Nancy Keith and Morgan Mann Chuck Karr, Alex Smith, Jimmy Warren, Patrick Murphy and David Patterson Marsha Lewis,

Well Mitchell, Fran Snyder, Margaret Lee and Sue Burford 8.

Donna Smith, Sabrina Keating, Jodi Karr, Emily Warren and Sarah Patterson 9.

April Coleman, Allyson Cooper and June Holmes 10. Rick Hanna and Mary Ellen Hanna 11. Juanita Jamison Morgan and Richard Morgan 12. Patrick Murphy and Chuck Karr

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ON THE SCENE

THE WILD PARTY

(FOR CHILDREN’S HANDS-ON MUSEUM) SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 HOME OF RUSTY AND MARY KATHERINE GIBSON

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PHOTOS | JAKE ARTHUR

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Krista Poole, John Poole, Mark Hickman and Ann Hickman Patricia “Sister Schubert” Barnes, William Blakeney, Rusty Gibson, Mary Katherine Gibson, Blakely Blakeney, Jon Blakeney and Kristin Blakeney.

Rita Ray and Martin Ray Nathan Almon, Phillip Weaver, Lake Lasseter, Harry Pruett and William Blakeney Deborah Elebash, Karl Elebash and Jean Hinton

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Joel Kucharski and Barbara Kucharski Kimberly Crabbe, Carla Bailey, Charlotte Gibson, Jackie Hoggle, Melissa Roberts, Sherie Giles, Madeline Bradberry and Melissa Williams 8. Blakely Blakeney, Kristine Fitts, Brittany Weaver and Sage Hickman 9. Ann Lilly, Sherry Shockley and Carolyn Davis 10. Kristine Fitts, Andy Turner and Erin Turner 11. Leesa Hollowell, Madeline Fitts, Asheley York and Krista Poole

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ON THE SCENE

50 CLASS REUNION TH

FOR TUSCALOOSA COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL 1

SEPTEMBER 15, 2018 ROBERTSON’S BARN PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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Andy Patton, Martie Patton, Michele Jones and Bobby Jones Edi Baumgartner and Ann Jobson Copple Don Foley, Bobby Jones, Joan Foley and Ann Dunbar Sheila Hawthorne and Louie Hawthorne Sherry Rushing and Randy Rushing Connie Kyzer and Linda Booth Mason Becky Long and Wanda Thompson Jerry Casey and Brenda Casey Diane Beck, Robert Beck and Robert Simmons Charles Swann and Robert Lindsey Pat Gooden, John Gooden and Jimmy Nemeth Sharon Walker Fair and Lawrence Fair Johnny Rushing and Kenny Lee

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ON THE SCENE

SPIRITS WINE CELLAR’S HOLIDAY WINE TASTING OCTOBER 26, 2018 BRYANT CONFERENCE CENTER PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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Molly Lusian and Ralph Lusian Bob Bradford and Matthew Bologna Jenny Mann, Gene “Poodgie” Poole and Jamie Poole Margaret Cooper and Camille Samples Jason Turner and Tracy Turner Daphne Ray, Sharon Jones and Kera Wilder

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ON THE SCENE

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Lisa Lecount, John Blitz and Margaret Ann Snow John Hamilton, Debbie Walsh, Lee Overstreet, Heather Overstreet and Stephanie Hamilton Andy Billings, Angela Billings and Kim Bissell Lauren Roland and Krystal Stroud Herochious Brooks, Regina Brooks, Vernita James and Chris James Tina Henley and Kasey Starnes Carly Standridge, Adam Hargett, David Olive and Ashley Olive

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ON THE SCENE

BACON, BREW AND QUE

AUGUST 25, 2018 TUSCALOOSA RIVER MARKET

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PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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Austin Armstead and Chris Strickland George Stephens and Jimmy Horner Katie Henricks, Ashley Nevin and Stephanie Wood Karlee Johnson and Lacey Guin Brande Hallman, Jimmy Hallman, Stephen Patton and Katie Patton Preston Brown, LB Brown, Victoria Mallon and Jason Mallon

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Nick Benson, LaMarcus GrifďŹ n and Markus Murray Chris Nasuti and Jennifer King Kara Hamilton and Trey Hamilton Catherine Shonk and Brandon Mullins Julie Salter and Wes Salter Lara Campbell and Steve Campbell John Ferrell and Ben Shewmake

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(FOR ARC OF TUSCALOOSA)

OCTOBER 21, 2018 GOVERNMENT PLAZA

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PHOTOS | JAKE ARTHUR

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ON THE SCENE

T-TOWN WITCHES’ RIDE

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Sarah Kathryn Bonds, Beth Glass, Kelly Walker and Linda Bonds Kristie Black, Pam Boyle, Andrea Hirst and Shelley Cooper Sally Godfrey and Lisa Stephens Anita Smelley and Glenda Colburn Alex Cox, Kristie Black, Andrea Hirst and Susie Poindexter Alison Nelson and Pam Rymer Joanna Lemmon, Karen

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Brummund and Lesley Wolfe Babe Mobley and Leah Peckham Casie Fowler and Charlie Fowler Caroline Williams, Lisa Butler and Carol Williams Elizabeth King and Beth Feller Sarah Davis, Demetrice Davis, Jimmie Davis, Connie Smith, Tricia Hall and Lisa Burns Kelly Walker and Makayla Woods

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LAST LOOK

SNOW WHITE, ROSE RED PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR. The rarity of snow in Tuscaloosa makes for a fairytale moment.

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