september 20, 2012

OVER THE MOUNTAINJ O U R N A L

Kitty White, left, painted the diamond pattern on the dining room walls of her Mountain Brook home. As one of the Tastemakers at this yearʼs Antiques at The Gardens, Kitty will be focusing on all the possiblities of paint when it comes to decorating.

The Suburban Newspaper for Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County

OTMJ.COM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012 VOL. 22 #18

SUE MURPHY: SLOW DOWN AND SMELL THE OREGANO P. 2 • GREEK FEAST NEXT WEEKEND P. 4 • STARR POWER P. 6 • HOOVER SCHOOL GOING TO THE DOGS P. 28

hether it’s the subtle border on a curtain or a particular finish on a kitchen cabinet, a little paint can go a long way, accord-ing to Kitty White.

Just step inside the artist’s Mountain Brook home, and

you’ll see why.Kitty subtly uses paint to make a big differ-

ence in the decor of the house she shares with husband Tryg Hoff and daughters Isabelle and Fairbanks White.

The cozy and comfortable home is proof that paint doesn’t have to be bright and bold to give a space character and charm.

“I try to go for the unexpected, but hopeful-

ly it will still be beautiful,” said Kitty of her use of paint when decorating. “I want something different and interesting.”

Kitty’s hand-painted fabrics and custom finishes do produce something unique. She’ll be showing just how paint can make a difference at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Antiques at The Gardens.

For the first time, Antiques at The Gardens will feature 12 regionally and nationally known architects, interior designers and landscape designers who will serve as tastemakers. Each will have themed areas at the event.

Kitty’s space will be themed “The Art of Paint.” There she will be showing some of her one-of-a-kind painted fabrics, many of which were inspired by her Mountain Brook home.

About a year ago Kitty moved her studio out

Kitty White Adds Charm to Home, Fabrics with Paint

See BRUSHING UP, page 26

This year’s Antiques at the Gardens will feature Tastemakers, regionally and nationally known designers. Step inside the homes Mary Evelyn McKee and Tammy Connor and find out why they’ve been tapped to share their talents. See page 22. Get a complete schedule of events for the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ seventh annual Antiques at The Gardens. See page 25.

BRUSHING UP

INSIDE

American Cancer Societyʼs Hope Gala draws big crowd SOCIAL PAGE 14

An amazing race for GraceABOUT TOWN PAGE 4

Rotaract Club hosts Hack-It Classic SOCIAL PAGE 17

Oak Mountainʼs Niki Noto travels the country with ESPNUʼs ʻRoad TripʼLIFE PAGE 12

April 2011storms spur new shop in HomewoodNEW BUSINESS PAGE 21

Story by Laura McAlister • Photos by Lee Walls Jr.

W

2 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNALOPINION/CONTENTS

“My favorite is Souvlakia. Those are lamb kabobs.”

Maria DikisHoover

“I love Spanakopita.”

Jackie HontzasHoover

Cooks from the Upcoming Greek Food Fest Share their Favorite Dishes

“I like Greek chicken and Spanakopita. I’ll do both.”

Helen McEwenShelby County

“My favorite dish is Pastichio.”

Hala FawalBirmingham

Slow Down and Smell the Oregano

OVER THE MOUNTAINJ O U R N A L September 20, 2012

Vol. 22, No. 18Over The Mountain Journal is a suburban bi-weekly newspaper delivered to Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County areas. Subscriptions for The Journal are available for $24 yearly. Mail to: Over the Mountain Journal, P.O. Box 660502, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216. Phone: (205) 823-9646. E-mail the editorial department at [email protected]. E-mail our advertising department at [email protected]. Find us on the Web at otmj.com. Copyright 2012 Over The Mountain Journal, Inc. All rights reserved. The Journal is not responsible for return of photos, copy and other unsolicited materials submitted. To have materials returned, please specify when submitting and provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All materials submitted are subject to editorial review and may be edited or declined without notification.

Publisher: Maury WaldEditor: Laura McAlister

Features Writer: Donna CorneliusOffice Manager: Christy Wald

Editorial Assistant: Stacie GalbraithSports: Lee Davis

Contributors: Susan Murphy, Bones Long, Cary Estes, June Mathews, Emil Wald, Marvin Gentry

Advertising Sales: Suzanne Wald, Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald

Editorial Interns: Ben Johnson, Margaret Frymire

ABOUT TOWN 4PEOPLE 8 LIFE 12SOCIAL 14

WEDDINGS 20NEW BUSINESS 21SCHOOLS 28SPORTS 32

Browse through more pictures from the area’s biggest and best parties. Share your good news. Click on “Got News” to submit news items. Like us on Facebook for updates on what’s going on at the Journal.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN VIEWS

IN THIS ISSUE

ON OTMJ.COM

MURPHY’S LAW

I woke up in the dark. I was having this weird dream that I was in a restaurant confronted by a menu

where all the choices were too caloric to consider, and suddenly I was wide awake, safe in my own bed, yet still surrounded by the unmistakable smell of onions and tomatoes and brown sugar. Barbecue.

And then I remembered: Harold had cranked up the Crock Pot.

We’d had a Crock Pot for years, a late ’70s relic with an ill-fitting lid that heroically got me through many a dinner hour during my teach-ing days. I hadn’t used it in a good long while, though, so in April I sent it to the Great Goodwill Beyond ... which is why around May first Harold stumbled upon the wonders of Crock Pot cookery.

The epiphany occurred after a trip to Chicagoland where Harold became enthralled with Italian roast beef sandwiches. And who could blame him? Slabs of beefy goodness stewed in their own juices. It’s a carnivore’s dream. Harold ordered one for lunch every single day, and when our plane landed back in Birmingham, he set out to determine how he could make these fabulous sandwiches at home.

Every internet source said the same thing: You need a slow cooker. Apparently, Italian roast beef cannot be rushed, so Harold rushed to the store and returned with a slow cooker so large it could feed an Italian army ... slowly, of course.

Go big or go home. That’s Harold’s motto. And not entirely satisfied with his Internet recipes (what does Bobby Flay know?), our next stop was the book-store, where he pored through a stack of cookbooks in search of the definitive Italian beef. I wandered through literary fiction, self-help and a disturbing array of bestsellers before Harold finally made his

cookbook selection.And then, it was on to the grocery

store for another hour of slow-going slow cooker prep. The cookbook, it seems, with its appetizing titles and full color illustrations, had set off a round of pre-Italian beef detours. After careful deliberation at the meat counter (I sampled everything in the bakery department twice), Harold at last selected a pork roast for his maid-en slow-cooked voyage, which is how I ended up with my 3 a.m. barbecue head rush.

I’m not complaining. The barbecue was indeed delicious, and I’m not just saying that so Harold doesn’t toss the tongs back in my direction. Harold

bested the barbecue throwdown, and now it’s on to the slow cooker next. It could be Hot and Sour Soup. It could be Boston Baked Beans. The cook-book has 365 pages, and Harold is determined to plow through to the end.

Hurrying through the slow cooker cookbook. That’s my guy, and I’m not surprised. Slow is not usually in Harold’s repertoire. The man does not idle. He does not stroll. His dinner plate is cleared before my napkin hits my lap. The fact that he’s now com-fortable chopping and slicing and not seeing the final results until 12 hours later brings a happy tear to my eye.

I just wish those slow hours didn’t coincide with my sleeping. To me, 12 hours of any smell can be overwhelming. I don’t know how people in food fac-tories do it. In Hershey, Pa., even the air out in the street smells like chocolate, which sounds wonderful, but I suspect there are days when the townspeople run screaming into the streets yelling, “Make it stop!”

The Italian beef launch is set for this Saturday. Twelve overnight hours of garlic and oregano and Good Seasons salt. If I dream I’m playing centerfield for the Cubbies, I’ll let you know. ❖

Sue Murphy

The fact that he’s now comfortable

chopping and slic-ing and not seeing the final results until 12 hours later brings a

happy tear to my eye.

Meet the Red Diamond Lecturer for this year’s Antiques at The Gardens. Alex Hitz’s is the founder of The Beverly Hills Kitchen food line sold exclusively on the Home Shopping Network and will be discussing his new book, “My Beverly Hills Kitchen” at the lecture Oct. 5.

COMING OCT. 4

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 3 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL ABOUT TOWN

2701 cahaba rd • mountain brook205-871-7060 • bartonclay.com

BIRMINGHAMInternational Peace Corps PartySept. 20, 6 p.m.UAB School of Public Health

The International Peace Corps will host a party, reception and recruitment function, all in one evening in room 407 of UAB’s Ryals Building. Light food will be served. A panel of recently returned Peace Corps volunteers will make brief presentations on their experiences. Returned volunteers and staff from the Peace Corps Southeast Regional Office will be available to discuss the Peace Corps, answer questions

and distribute information. Contact Dan Frederick, GBRPCV publicity coordinator, at 631-4680 or [email protected] for more information.

BIRMINGHAMBarktoberfestSept. 20, 6:15 p.m.Avondale Brewery

Hand In Paw is hosting its annual Barktoberfest at Avondale Brewery. Pay $20 and get four beer tastings, bratwursts and kraut. There also will be door prizes, a costume contest, a stein houst contest and live music. It is a dog-friendly event. Visit www.HandinPaw.org for more information.

BY LAURA MCALISTER

JOURNAL EDITOR

J ust because Ziven Fowler isn’t old enough to volunteer for Grace’s Kitchen doesn’t mean he can’t help the program that feeds

Birmingham’s home-less.

For the second year in a row, Ziven, a sixth grader at Simmons Middle School, will host the Race For

Grace, set for Oct. 21 at The Preserve in Hoover. There is no set registra-tion fee for the race. All that is asked is a dona-tion to Grace’s Kitchen.

“We just want people to give what they want,” Ziven said. “All of it will go to Grace’s Kitchen. I started this when I was 11. I want to make it an annual event, and I want it to grow every year.”

The race is in its second year and is growing. Last year, there was only a 1-mile fun run, but this year it has expanded to include a 5K race route.

Birmingham residents Paula Hughes and Lisa Latham founded Grace’s Kitchen as a way to serve the area’s homeless.

Since 2009, the ministry has been serving a warm breakfast and sack lunch each Thursday in downtown Birmingham’s Linn Park. In addition to the meals, a short worship service is held.

Anna Fowler, Ziven’s mom and a Grace’s Kitchen board member, said on any given Thursday anywhere from 75-125 homeless resi-dents are nourished through the ministry.

She and husband Rob were pleasantly surprised when Ziven said he wanted his race to benefit

Grace’s Kitchen. She said the couple has encouraged Ziven and his sister Sasha to get involved with the com-munity.

“Our feelings have always been that the more involved you are with the community you live and work in, the more you will take care of it,” she said.

Although Grace’s Kitchen requires vol-unteers serving meals to be at least 13, that doesn’t mean Ziven and 8-year-old Sasha haven’t had some involvement with the ministry.

Ziven said they often write Bible verses and messages on index cards that are packed in paper sacks along with nutritious snacks and bottled water. Instead of handing out cash to homeless people, Anna said the family gives them sacks of snacks

with uplifting messages.“It only takes a few seconds, but it’s great,”

she said. “We keep them in the car and give them out. Not once have we had anyone say ‘no thank you.’ They are always very appreciative.”

The Race for Grace will be Oct. 21 at The Preserve Town Hall. The fun run begins at 2 p.m., and the 5K starts at 2:30 p.m.

Visit active.com and search “Race for Grace” to register and make a donation to Grace’s Kitchen. ❖

4 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNALABOUT TOWN

To: PattyFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Date: May 2012

This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the may 17, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

Please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number!

Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date,

your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL MIKE WEDGWORTH, 365-4344. [email protected]

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Save the Date

Ziven Fowler, 12, of Hoover is hosting the second annual Race for Grace Oct. 21 at The Preserve. The race is a fundraiser for Grace’s Kitchen.

Photo special to the Journal

An Amazing Race for GraceSimmons Student Helps Homeless with 5K, Fun Run

A GREEK FEAST

BIRMINGHAM40th Annual Greek FestivalSept. 27-29, 10:30 a.m.Holy Trinity-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral

In addition to Greek cuisine, this festival includes live Greek music and Greek dancing by the cathedral’s youth and guided tours of the cathedral.. Takeout options are available for lunch and dinner with drive-through and walk-up lines. Visit www.bhamgreekfestival.com for a menu. Call 716-3086 ahead of time for orders of 10 or more. Free parking is available in the Liberty National parking deck between 20th Street and Richard Arrington Boulevard. Admission is free; food items are individually priced. The Greek Marketplace has imported food, icons, fine jewelry, art and more. ❖

Rolling out dough for cookies for the upcoming Greek Food Festival are from left: Nicki Jovaras, Maria Dikis and Pat Leos. Journal photo by Margaret FrymireRace for

Grace 2012When: Oct. 21. The fun run begins at 2 p.m. and the 5K at 2:30 p.m.Where: The Preserve Town Hall in HooverInformation: Visit active.com to register. All donations go to Grace’s Kitchen

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 5OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL ABOUT TOWN

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CHRISTOPHER GLENN, INC.Antiques, Gardens, & Giving

To: 870-1260, [email protected]: Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 Date: Sept 15, 2011

This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the Sept. 22, 2011 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.





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BIRMINGHAMBeer-N-BBQ & BingoSept. 27, 6:30 p.m.Avondale Brewery

The Junior Board of the Robert E. Reed Gastrointestinal Oncology Research Foundation is hosting its first “Finish the Fight” Beer-N-BBQ & Bingo Sept. 27 at Avondale Brewery. Tickets are $25 per person at the door. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Robert E. Reed Gastrointestinal Oncology Research Foundation, which supports GI cancer research at UAB under the direction of Martin J. Heslin, M.D. and his team of research physicians. Additional Junior Board members assisting with the party are Emory Richardson, Matthew Echols, Joseph Holt, Annie Greaves, Catherine Close, Callen Bair, William Shafferman, Laura Willoughby, Hannon Doody, Michael Pounds, Cameron Doody, Austin Averitt, Anne Knox Averitt, Hayes Arendall and Jessica Kubat. For more information contact the Reed Foundation office at 427-5085. ❖

BINGO AND BREWS BENEFIT

Finalizing plans for Finish the Fight Beer-N-BBQ & Bingo are in front from left: board mem-bers Lauren DeMoss and Neillie Butler, and in back, Roxane Mackin and Lauren Silverstein. Photo special to the Journal

BIRMINGHAMWhat Can a Girl Do at the Zoo?Sept. 22, 9:30 a.m.Birmingham Zoo

The Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama will host a program open to girls ages 5-17 at the Birmingham Zoo. Girls can explore the zoo, participate in craft activities and learn about Girl Scouting while completing some badge requirements for their very first Girl Scout badge and earning a fun patch. Register at girlscoutsnca.org/content/non-member-registration-form or at the Children’s Zoo gate. The $8 fee does not include food or extra zoo activities. For more information, contact Dnika Joseph at [email protected].

HOOVERRace to the CrossSept. 22, 8 a.m.Christ Church United Methodist

First Priority of Alabama will host the Race to the Cross 5K and one-mile fun run at Christ Church United Methodist. First Priority is a nonprofit organization that works in the community as a strategic partnership of churches, ministers, business people, educators, parents and students concerned about the moral and spiritual well-being of youth in the Birmingham area. All 5K participants will receive a free T-shirt. All fun run participants will receive a water bottle. There will also be door prizes and awards for overall and age group winners. Entry fee for the 5K is $25 for those who register by Sept. 21 and $30 on race day. The

Get more OTM news• visit otmj.com • like us on facebook

6 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAlAbout town

fun run/walk fee is $10. Race day registration will begin at 7 a.m. For more information and to register, visit www.gofirstpriority.com.

BirminghamVulcan afterTunesSept. 23, 3 p.m.Vulcan Park and museum

Vulcan will kick off its eighth year of Vulcan AfterTunes, the annual three-part concert series featuring local and national singer/songwriter acts featured on Reg’s Coffee House and Birmingham Mountain Radio. Admission is $15 for adults, $7.50 for Vulcan members and free for children 12 and under. Tickets include live music and admission to Vulcan’s observation tower and museum. Tickets and seating are first-come, first-served. Light snacks, beer, wine and soft drinks will be available for purchase. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.visitvulcan.com.

Birminghammemorial Dedication ServiceSept. 24, 12:30 p.m.Birmingham Botanical gardens

There will be a memorial dedication service for the late

Glenn E. Estess, a former Rotary International president and longtime resident of Mountain Brook. The service will be in the Japanese Gardens at the Friendship Bell. Rotary International dignitaries, as well as family and Rotary Club of Shades Valley members will give remarks. The Friendship Bell is the new gateway to the Japanese Gardens, and was donated by the Osaka Central Rotary Club thanks to a special relationship Glenn helps form with the Japanese Club. For more information, visit www.shadesvalleyrotary.org.

Birmingham“The Color Purple”Sept. 27-Oct. 14; Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 p.m. and Sun., 2 p.m.rmTC Cabaret Theatre

Red Mountain Theatre Company is bringing “The Color Purple” to the Birmingham stage. Featuring a cast of Alabama performers, this is a musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and the popular 1985 Steven Spielberg film. Tickets are $30-35; group, senior and student rates are available. To buy tickets, call 324-2424 or visit www.

redmountaintheatre.org. Special events include the Sunday Supper Add-On every Sunday from noon-1:30 p.m. A Southern meal will be served before the 2 p.m. show. Call 324-2424 for details. A gospel concert with the cast will be Oct. 9. Tickets are $20.

alaBaSTer“laura”Sept. 27-29 and Oct. 4-6, 8 p.m.; Sept. 30, 2 p.m.South City Theatre

For the first show of its 13th season, South City Theatre will stage the film noir-inspired mystery classic “Laura.” The cast includes Karow Wilson, Sarah Griffin, Scott Nesmith, Matt Cox, Amanda Lage, Eli Daggett, Sheri Daggett and Dan Strickland. Tickets are $15; student and senior rates are $12, and the group rate is $10. Call 621-2128 or visit www.southcitytheatre.com for reservations. The new South City Theatre is on Highway 26. Seating is limited, so reservations are strongly recommended.

Birminghamabove the line Film FestivalSept. 29, 7 p.m.UaB mary Culp hulsey recital hall

With 140 actors in 35 short films ranging from horror and romance to drama and comedy, the UAB Department of Theatre presents this year’s digital film festival. Admission is free and open to the public. Call 934-3236 or visit www.uab.edu/theatre for more information.

VeSTaVia hillSStepStone Ceremony essay ContestOct. 1alabama Veterans memorial Park

The Alabama Veterans Memorial Park is offering five StepStones to be placed beneath the park’s American flag for the StepStone Ceremony Nov. 11 at 2:30 p.m. Write to the park about someone special who should be honored with a StepStone. A drawing of selected essays will be held during the Oct. 2 APT program “At Your Service.” The Alabama Veterans Memorial Foundation will pay for the StepStones for the five winners. All essay entries will receive

coming soonmore newsmore often

To: 871-4985From: Over The Mountain Journal, 205-823-9646 ph., 205-824-1246, fax Date: Sept.2012

This is your aD prOOF from the Over The MOunTain JOurnal for the Sept. 20, 2012 issue. please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number!

please initial and fax back within 24 hours.if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date,




Amy Williamson assists Exceptional Foundation participant James with one of his paintings. Art is one of the many activities the program offers to adults with mental and physical disabilities. The public will have a chance to purchase some of the participantsʼ work at the foundationʼs art show Sept. 20. Proceeds from the show benefit the foundation. Journal photo by Laura McAlister



SUE MURPHY ON THEME BIRTHDAY PARTIES P. 2 • PATRIOTS DAY IN HOMEWOOD SEPT. 11 P. 4 • MAGIC CITY MILE BENEFITS BELL CENTER P. 6

BY LAURA MCALISTER

JOURNAL EDITOR

He starts with a blank sheet of butcher paper and then carefully selects his colors.

For this particular painting, James chooses a fiery red and a bright yellow. Then he delves into his work.

As a new participant in Homewood’s Exceptional Foundation, James has discov-ered a love for painting. He’s also made some pretty good friends.

The Exceptional Foundation is a non-profit organization serving mentally and physically challenged individuals. On a daily basis, it serves adults like James, but it also offers programs and summer camps for children.

On any given day at the center, partici-pants can be found working on an art proj-

ect like James with his painting. Or, if it happens to be a Wednesday afternoon, there may be some karaoke.

Whatever the activity may be, the pro-gram strives to provide these mentally and physically challenged individuals with social and recreational activities with peers, something they might not get otherwise.

“There’s always something going on here,” said Ginny Bastar, program director for the foundation. “They have a far more active social life than any of us.”

Usually activities are in the daytime, but on Sept. 20, the organization will open its doors for its ninth annual Exceptional Art Show, where budding artists like James will get to show off and sell their work.

Ruth Bean, a staff member at the Exceptional Foundation, said the show is a great way to tap into the talents of these

Foundation’s Show Helps Open Doors for Mentally and Physically Challenged

See EXCEPTIONAL, page 7

Art in ActionBirmingham Museum lands largest Norman Rockwell traveling exhibit, page 3Mountain Brook Artist creates paintings for the GOP National Convention, page 8 See how donors make a difference in fostering the area’s arts, page 12

EXCEPTIONAL ART

INSIDE

Back to school, OTM stu-dents begin a new yearSCHOOLS PAGE 23

Football-themed party raises funds for Childrenʼs team SOCIAL PAGE 14

Western Supermarkets partners with Emmet OʼNeal Library for wine festivalABOUT TOWN PAGE 6

Homemade foods highlight Middle East feast ABOUT TOWN PAGE 4

Cats and dogs reign at Picasso Pets eventSOCIAL PAGE 17

Save the Date Continued

Birminghama Starr Fell on alabamaOct. 4, 7 p.m.The Club

The Auxiliary of Big Oak Ranch will present this benefit dinner for the children of Big Oak Ranch. Bart Starr, former University of Alabama and Green Bay Packer standout, will be the special guest and honoree. Platinum guests are invited to a reception starting at 6:15 p.m. Dinner will follow at 7 p.m. Contact Karen Palmer at 706-1084 or [email protected] for more information or for tickets and tables. ❖

STarr POwer

Carol Slaughter, front, with Annabelle’s in Vestavia designed invi-tations to A Starr Fell on Alabama, a Big Oak Ranch fundraiser. With her are, from left, back: Sallie Knight, Melissa Gunnells and Karen Palmer. Photo special to the Journal

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 7OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL ABOUT TOWN

SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN

A Night to Believe committee members are, from left: Sandy Logan, Niva Roberson, Misty Luna, Rosie Butler and Cathy Daniel. Journal photo by Laura McAlister

BIRMINGHAMA Night to Believe Oct. 2, 7 p.m.WorkPlay

Four of country music’s most famous singer-songwriters, including Grammy Award winner Craig Wiseman, will perform at WorkPlay for this Nashville songwriters hosting event benefiting the transplant program of Children’s of Alabama.

The one-night-only concert also will feature Bob DiPiero, Tony Mullins and Jeffery Steele – collectively known as The Hitmen of Music Row

of country music and reality TV fame. The event includes a pre-concert reception of heavy hors d’oeuvres and complimentary beer and wine for sponsors at 6 p.m. followed by the concert at 7 p.m. Sponsorships are $250-$5,000. All sponsor tickets include admission to the reception, priority seating at the concert and complimentary table service throughout the evening. Individual general admission tickets are $35. For sponsorship or ticket information, contact Misty Farmer at 638-9956 or [email protected]. ❖

a lapel pin and the book “Identifying Courage” at the ceremony Nov. 11. Honorees can be from any state, living or deceased. Each entry should be from one to five paragraphs, including the nominee’s name, rank and branch of service and must include the name and contact information of the person making the nomination. Essays must be received by Oct. 1. Email them to [email protected] or mail to StepStones – AVMF, P.O. Box 59343, Birmingham, AL 35259. For more information, call 912-2019.

VESTAVIA HILLSVestavia Hills National Night OutOct. 2, 6 p.m.Vestavia Hills Baptist Church

The Vestavia Hills Fire and Police departments invite the public to this second annual event. The city’s first National Night Out earned the “Rookie of the Year” honor from the national event committee. Police and fire personnel, equipment and vehicles, including the LifeSaver One helicopter, will be on site. Vendors will provide food, fun, live music, product demonstrations and more. In connection with National Night Out is Project 365, a program in which public safety is challenged to launch an initiative that makes a positive impact on the community. Last year the departments launched Shades of Vestavia, an initiative to raise funds for tree replacement in areas damaged by the April 2011 tornadoes. This year VHPD and VHFD will launch “Operation OverWatch.” Full details about the project will be available at the event. Businesses that would like to participate or become sponsors can visit www.vestaviahillspolice.com, call Lt. Brian Gilham at 978-0194 or email him at [email protected].

BIRMINGHAMHomewood High School Golf TournamentOct. 3, 1 p.m.Highland Park Golf Course

This tournament benefiting the HHS boys’ basketball team will have a shotgun start at 1 p.m. Prizes will be awarded. Registration is $125 for an individual, $500 for a team, $250 for a hole sponsorship and $1,000 for eagle sponsorship. For more information or to register, contact the HHS athletic department at 871-9663.

BIRMINGHAMSouthern Women’s ShowOct. 4-6, 10 a.m.; Oct. 7, 11 a.m.BJCC

One of the largest consumer events in Birmingham, this annual show attracts thousands of women each year for four days of fashion shows, cooking demonstrations, beauty tips, health screenings, decorating ideas and personal growth opportunities, all tailored especially for women, as well as celebrity appearances. The show will also feature New Jersey Housewife/cookbook author Teresa Giudice, the Next Great Baker star Jay Qualls, runway shows; the popular firefighter fashion shows, makeovers and more. Admission is $10 at the door, $8 in advance online, $7 in advance at participating Piggly Wigglys, $5 for

INTERNATIONAL FINE ART SALETuesday and Wednesday, October 2‑3, 2012 > 11a.m.–8 p.m.

This magnificent show features works of several hundred artists from around the world as well as works from the estates of Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, and Pablo Picasso. Curator Walter Edelman will bring more than 500 pieces of museum-quality art on both canvas and paper, complete with a certificate of authenticity for each. Mr. Edelman is a fourth-generation art dealer based in New York City. An expert on art history, Mr. Edelman has appeared on numerous radio and television shows and has lectured in a variety of settings on art topics. His exclusive representative in the Birmingham metro area is Clark Antiques Gallery.

Co-sponsored by

Salvador Dali

Virgil JohnsonVirgil Johnson Pablo PicassoPablo Picasso

Kimberly J. BrannonKimberly J. BrannonViktoria Pikunova

Walter Edelman, CuratorWalter Edelman, Curator

2717 Second Avenue South > Birmingham, Alabama

children 6–12 and free for children under 6 with a paying adult, and $5 after 5 p.m. For group discount tickets and more information, call 800-849-0248 or visit www.SouthernWomensShow.com.

BirminghamJazz in the ParkOct. 4, 6 p.m.avondale Park

Magic City Smooth Jazz will host this free concert in the historic Avondale Park amphitheater. Featured will be national recording artist Keiko Matsui. Opening the

show for Matsui will be Birmingham’s The Neo Collective. Bring lawn chairs and coolers.

Birminghamact of Congress ConcertOct. 7, 6 p.m.independent Presbyterian Church

Join IPC for live music, fellowship and fun as it showcases its new property adjacent to the church. Barbecue by Delmar Hill with Hill on the Grill will be available for purchase before the concert. Act of Congress will take the stage at 6 p.m. The concert is free. Childcare will be

provided by the IPC youth group. Donations for the After School Arts Integration Program will be accepted at the event. This program needs $11,000 to complete the funding for 25 children two days a week from October through April. For more information, visit www.ipc-usa.org.

BirminghamSips for CF Wine Tasting CompetitionOct. 11, 6 p.m.Kress Building

The Laps for Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation will host its fourth

annual Sips for CF Wine Tasting Competition on the rooftop of downtown Birmingham’s Kress Building. As part of the Sips for CF Wine Tasting Competition teams of one to three persons will compete in the tasting competition. To participate in the tasting competition, each team must bring three bottles of the same wine. Two of these bottles will be used for the concealed tasting; the third will be set aside as part of the grand prize. Players will vote on their favorite wines, and the three teams with the top voted wines will split the

multi-bottle prize. The event, hosted by the Laps for CF Junior Board, also includes food and drinks, live music by The Negotiators and a silent auction. Free parking will be available in the Park Rite parking deck on the corner of 19th Street and 4th Street North. Tickets are $15 each prior to the event at www.LapsForCF.org or by calling 871-9140. Tickets are $20 at the door. Registration and hors de oeuvres will commence at 6 p.m. and the tasting competition at 7 p.m. For more information visit www.LapsForCF.org. ❖

8 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAlAbout town

To: PaigeFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 Date: Sept.






To: From: Over the Mountain Journal Date: Sept. 2012This is your AD PROOF FOR OTMJ SEPT. 20, 2012issue. Please contact your sales representative as soon as possible to

approve your ad or make changes. You may fax approval or changes to 824-1246.


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2406 CANTERBURY ROAD • MTN. BROOK VILLAGE • 879.2730

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Sat., Sept. 22nd 10 - 4You don't want to miss this sale!

Getting ready for

EcoFest 14 are in front

from left: Sally Yeilding

and Sharon McDermott.

Back: Dayna Orr and Roald Hazelhoff.

Photo special to the

Journal

Getting ready for the Lift Your Spirits benefit are from left: Natalie Portera, Anne Hightower, Pam Franklin, Gina Pearson and Barbara Moore.


auTumn harveST

LiFTing Them uP

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EcoFest 14 includes three-course autumn harvest dinner with selected wines sponsored by Whole Foods, and handcrafted beers from Good People Brewery. This year's auction items include a pedicab tour of Birmingham, fine Avery Jewelry, Alabama/LSU zone tickets, an Alys Beach getaway, a weekend driving a TESLA, a British Soccer package with two nights in a castle and more. Tickets are $60 each. Reservations can be made by calling 226-4934 or visit www.bsc.edu/sec/. ❖

mOunTain BrOOKLift Your SpiritsOct. 11, 5:30 p.m.Park Lane

Community Grief Support Service (CGSS) will hold its ninth annual Lift Your Spirits benefit dinner and auction Oct. 11 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Park Lane on Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook. With a goal of $40,000, committee members are working hard. The money will help fund six 10-week grief support groups and professional grief counseling for people struggling with grief after the death of a loved one. CGSS is privileged to honor Casey Dunn, head baseball coach at Samford University, who will serve as honorary chairman for the event. Dunn has a personal understanding of grief. In 2004, his father, Sammy Dunn, died of stomach cancer. It was one of the few losses in his 27-year coaching career at Vestavia Hills High School. Sponsor tables are available for $1,000 and $1,250; individual reservations are $100. Complimentary valet parking is provided. For more information or to make reservations, call 870-8667 or visit www.communitygriefsupport.org. ❖

Get more OTM news• visit otmj.com• find us on facebook• follow us on twitter

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 9OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL PEOPLE

Classics professor Randy Todd of North Shelby County and senior systems analyst Abby

Casey of Vestavia Hills were recog-nized during the opening convoca-tion of the fall semester at Samford University Aug. 28.

Dr. Todd, founding chair of the Samford classics department, received the John H. Buchanan Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching. The annual award includes a lapel pin and a $1,000 cash prize. Finalists for the award were nomi-nated by members of the 2012 gradu-ating class.

Todd was honored for his leader-ship in building a thriving classics program that is the envy of many schools throughout the nation, said Provost J. Brad Creed.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Furman University, Todd has a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.

Casey, who has worked in Samford’s technology services department for 13 years, received the 2012 President’s Award as a staff member who exceeds all expectations and offers exemplary service to all segments of the Samford community.

Casey was cited as a “willing and dedicated co-worker with won-derful ideas and a generous spirit,” said Samford president Andrew Westmoreland in presenting the award.

A graduate of Auburn University, where she was a math major, Casey received a glass plaque and a $1,000 cash prize. ❖

Samford Universityʼs Abby Casey, left, of Vestavia Hills received the schoolʼs 2012 Presidentʼs Award, and Randy Todd of North Shelby County received the schoolʼs John H. Buchanan Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching.


Todd, Casey Cited at Samford Convocation

Huckeba Graduates Naval Academy

U.S. Marine Corps Second Lieutenant William Austin Huckeba, son of Paul and Vickie Huckeba, graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD on May 29, and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Huckeba successfully completed four years of intensive academic, physical, and professional training, resulting in a bachelor of science degree with a major in aerospace engineering. As a graduate of the Naval Academy, Huckeba completed a four-year, total immersion program where a strong, balanced academic program, focused on the educational needs of the Navy and Marine Corps superimposed on a strict, professional military training environment emphasizing the development of leadership skills.

Following graduation, Huckeba has service selected Marine Pilot where he will continue his Marine training at TBS in Quanitco, Va. and then proceed to flight school in Pensacola, Fla.

Considered one of the top educational institutions in the country, the U.S. Naval Academy was founded in 1845 and has graduated more then 60,000 men and women as Naval and Marine Corps officers. Its graduates include 4,000 admirals and generals, one president, 200 members of Congress, three governors, 73 Medal of Honor winners, one Nobel Prize winner and 40 astronauts.

The Naval Academy has more than 4,000 students who comprise the Brigade of Midshipmen and who come from every state in the union.

He is a 2008 graduate of Hoover High School and was president of his senior class. Rep. Spencer Bachus nominated Austin to the academy.

Girl Scouts Earn Silver Award

Several Girl Scouts in Over the Mountain troops have earned Silver Awards, the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn.

The award symbolizes a Cadette’s accomplishments in scouting and community activities as she works to better her life and the lives of others.

Members of Bumpus Middle School’s Troop 79 who earned the award are Lydia Powell, who designed invitations and a photo backdrop for her service unit’s annual dance; Christina Dolensky, who created art kits for children without access to art enrichment programs; and Alexis Turek, who improved a garden planted in memory of a young fellow church member.

Troop 350 members who won the award are Madison McCaskey, a student at Irondale Middle School, and Virginia Estes, a student at Homewood Middle School. They earned the award by starting a Daisy Girl Scout troop for the Avondale area.

Also from Troop 350, homeschooled student Caitlin Gilbert and Alabama School of Fine Arts student Madeline Pratt, both from Homewood, won the award by raising pet care awareness for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

Silver Award winners from Troop 215 were Anna Michaels, Mia Owens and Caroline Adams, students at Pizitz Middle School in Vestavia Hills. They repaired and painted cabins in the Older Girl Unit at Camp Coleman.

Corts, Kassouf Join CGSS Board

Community Grief Support Service recently named two new members to its board. Each will serve three-year terms.

Marla Corts is a civic leader and member of the Advisory Board of the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing at Samford University. Gerard J. Kassouf is managing director and director of Healthcare Services Group at Kassouf & Co.

Outgoing Chairman J. Terrell Spencer, M.D., thanked board members Ben Schillaci and Ralph Yarbrough, who both rotated off the board, and presented them with plaques in appreciation for their eight years of dedicated service.

Officers elected for 2012 are: Chairman Robby E. Owens Jr., Shelby County District Attorney; Vice Chairman Charles “Chuck” King, retired geology and land resources manager, Vulcan Materials Co.; Secretary Dr. Neal Schooley, retired associate pastor, Dawson Memorial Baptist Church; and treasurer Gerard J. Kassouf.

Community Grief Support Service has been providing free grief support services to the Birmingham area since 1996.

Beauchamp Makes Barron’s List

Merrill Lynch financial advisor John Beauchamp was recently recognized among the top advisors in Alabama in Barron’s magazine’s annual “America’s Top 1,000 Advisors: State-by-State” list.

Beauchamp is among 287 Merrill Lynch advisors on this year’s list, the most advisors for any firm.

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Advisors considered for the ranking have a minimum of seven years’ financial services experience and have been employed at their current firms for at least one year.

Rankings also are determined by client assets, return on assets, client satisfaction and retention, compliance records and community involvement.

Reeves Finishes Recruit Training

David Reeves graduated Aug. 3 from recruit training at Parris Island, S.C.

He was the honor graduate for his platoon and was meritoriously promoted to Private First Class. He also achieved expert status on the rifle range, the highest level that can be attained.Reeves graduated from Shades Mountain Christian School in 2011.

Player Improves Stadium for Eagle Scout Project

K.C. Terry, a John Carroll Catholic High School senior, isn’t only playing football this season. He’s beautifying the stadium the Cavaliers play in, too.

Terry, a member of the Boy Scouts since he was a sixth grader at Our Lady of the Valley, started work this past summer to complete requirements for Eagle Scout status in Troop 71 for

the Greater Birmingham Council. His approved project was refurbishing the stadium at John Carroll.

The project included power-washing the visiting stands, weed-eating two large hills on each side of the visiting team’s bleachers and beautifying them with pine straw, cutting back tree limbs that had grown over the top of the bleachers and digging up and replacing dead trees on each hillside.

Terry also is about to complete a merit badge project on personal finance. Once both projects are finished, he will have met the requirements for Eagle

Scout status.Terry is not only personally bringing

a new look to the stadium, he is directing a crew of fellow John Carroll students, other scouts and friends who are working together to complete the project.

“Not many people can say they are an Eagle Scout,” said Terry. “It requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Reaching this level of scouting says I’ve accomplished something not easily done.”

At John Carroll, Terry is a Thomas Messina Memorial Award winner, a

mathematics tutor for Mu Alpha Theta and a Peer Minister. On the football team, he is a defensive end and wide receiver. He also is on the basketball team as a center and forward and on the soccer team as a middle defender.

After graduating in May, Terry plans to major in engineering at Auburn University. ❖

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This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the Sept. 20, 2012 ssue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.


Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.


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To: [email protected]: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Date: aug. 2012

This is your aD prOOF from the Over The MOunTain JOurnal for the Sep. 6, 2012 issue. please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.





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K.C. Terry, a senior football player at John Carroll, improved the schoolʼs sta-dium as part of his Eagle Scout project. Photo special to the Journal

12 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAlLife

Teacher Sherri Spears remembers the day a bright ninth grader made a strong case for getting into a class

usually restricted to upperclassmen.The student, Niki Noto, had her heart set

on taking Sherri’s broadcasting class at Oak Mountain High School.

“Niki told me she’d do anything – even take out the trash – if I’d let her take the class,” Sherri said. “She told me, ‘All I want to do is be a sportscaster for ESPN.’”

Today, that’s exactly what Niki is doing.The 25-year-old Oak Mountain graduate

is now in her second sea-son with ESPNU’s “Road Trip,” a weekly half-hour show that takes viewers behind the scenes at college football venues. Niki and co-host Ali Nejad travel to game day sites to interact with tailgaters, explore things to do on and off campus and interview well-known sports figures and other celebrities.

“We get to experience what the normal fan doesn’t,” Niki said. “We find out what makes each campus unique.”

Niki was “born and raised” in the Birmingham area, she said. Her mother and stepfather, Rhonda and Clayton Davie Jr., live in Riverchase, while her dad, Louis Noto, is in Cullman.

Her home base now is Atlanta, but she typically flies out on Wednesdays to game sites and starts work on the show at 8 a.m. on Thursdays. Recently, Niki and Ali were in Dallas for the Cowboys Classic game between Alabama and Michigan and then returned to Texas the following week for the

Florida-Texas A&M matchup.At the Cowboys Classic, Niki got to

cover her alma mater, the University of Alabama, as well as the UM Wolverines. She and Ali showed off the massive stadium and chatted with Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys. And in one segment of the show, the co-hosts played the NCAA 2013 video game on the stadium’s 160-feet-long JumboTron.

“I’m a girl, but that has to be every guy’s dream,” Niki said.

The co-hosts also had some fun at Six

Flags Over Texas on the Texas Giant, a roller coaster that has the world’s steepest drop. They dropped in at Rangers Ballpark to visit with baseball players, most of whom cor-rectly predicted Bama would win the game.

Texas isn’t the only place where Niki has found exciting features for her show.

“I barrel raced with the Nebraska Rodeo Association and went skydiving with the club from Kansas State,” she said.

She interviewed filmmaker Spike Lee at last year’s national championship game and loved talking to beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh “since I played volleyball in high school,” she said.

Sherri Spears, now an eighth grade teach-er at Chelsea Middle School, isn’t surprised to see her former student living her dream.

ESPNU’s Niki Noto started the second season of the network’s “Road Trip” in Dallas for the Alabama-Michigan game.

Sideline Star

Oak Mountain’s Niki Noto Travels the Country with

ESPNU’s ‘Road Trip’

Story by Donna CorneliuS

Journal FeatureS Writer

PhotoS by lee WallS Jr.

ESPNU’s “Road Trip” airs on Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. You can also follow Niki on

Twitter and Facebook.


To: [email protected]: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Date: Feb 2011

This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the feb. 10, 2011 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.


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“She was always very enthusi-astic and was one of the few teen girls who was comfortable in her own skin,” Sherri said. “She had that competitive, tomboy side, but she could be a ‘girly girl,’ too.”

Sherri has never regretted her decision to let Niki take the high school broadcasting class.

“Her sophomore year, she and two others pretty much led the class,” Sherri said. “They’d come in at 5:30 in the morning or meet me at midnight to get film in. Niki would do her work and then take up time slots that other students failed to do.

“It was just amazing to teach a child like her.”

After high school, Niki headed for the University of Alabama, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications.

“Alabama has a great program,” she said. “And it pays to get to know your professors and to make them your best friends. It’s good to let them know your dreams and aspirations. They’re happy to help you achieve them.”

Niki found this to be true once she’d graduated.

“I was working for the Tennessee Titans’ media relations department, and one of my profes-sors called and said the ESPN crew was coming to Tuscaloosa for the 2009 LSU game,” Niki said. “They needed a production assistant for the show I’m hosting now.”

That gave Niki a foot in the door with ESPN. Between that

first experience with “Road Trip” and joining the show as a co-host, she also worked for the Atlanta Falcons.

“I was in Cancun with the Falcons to shoot their cheerleader swimsuit calendar, and a man approached me,” she said. “He thought I was one of the cheerlead-ers and wanted to interview me.

“It turned out he was with Georgia Public Broadcasting’s sports broadcasting. They took a chance on a 22-year-old and hired me to do high school football games. I still do state champion-ship games and sideline reporting for GPB.”

In the meantime, Niki kept in touch with her contacts at ESPN, which led to her regular gig with “Road Trip.”

“I love the football atmo-sphere,” she said. “It’s my favorite sport, hands down.”

While Niki couldn’t be happier with her job, she may choose a dif-ferent direction in the future.

“I want to teach broadcasting in high school one day,” she said. And although she’s not married yet, she already knows “that I want to be involved in my kids’ lives and give them a great home,” she said.

Whatever path Niki chooses, Sherri Spears won’t be surprised to see her former student succeed.

“She always went through her problems, not around them,” Sherri said. “She’s like a little light – she always shines bright.” ❖

While covering the Alabama-Michigan game, Niki had the opportunity to chat with Alablama athletic director Mal Moore on the sidelines.

14 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAlsocial

The American Cancer Society’s 32nd annual Hope Gala raised more than $310,000 to support lifesaving cancer research and provide support

services for patients receiving cancer treatment at area hospitals.

The Aug. 25 event honored former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and wife Patsy for their commitment to finding a cure for the disease.

This year’s gala was chaired by Kendall Eagan, Lisa Jernigan Bruhn and Penney Hartline. More than 500 guests and members of the Riley family attended the black-tie gala, which was designed by Dorothy McDaniel.

Guests enjoyed an elegant dinner, participated in live and silent auctions and danced to music from Bobby T and the Aristocrats.

A special request was made at the end of the eve-ning for donations to help the American Cancer Society continue to fund the lifesaving research of Dr. Warner Huh at UAB.

Entertainment included jazz music from Goodfellas during the cocktail hour and a live auction after dinner. Auction items included a walk-on part in a Paramount film, a personal invitation by actress Jane Lynch to attend a taping of “Glee” and a trip to the Golf Channel in Orlando as a guest of host Charles Rymer.

Emcee was Mike Royer of Alabama’s 13. The auctioneer was Guin Robinson.

The evening closed with a video produced by Sophie Martin that featured nine local cancer survivors. Several, including Roxanne Given, Heidi Holman, Val Holman, Frances Faulconer and Lee Dawkins, were gala committee members.

At the event were: Beth Adams, Jimmy and Jennifer Ard, Paula Beck, Vicki and Michael Briggs, Lois and George Bradford, Elizabeth and Tom Broughton, Susan and David Brouillette, Terry and Mariah Chapman, Caroline and Patrick Darby, Michelle and Jim Creamer, Vickie and Jay Crenshaw, Lynn and Alan Creighton, Jacqueline and Paul DeMarco, Jeanne and Cal Dodson;

Tricia and Mark Drew, June and John Eagan, Brian Edwards, Elizabeth and David Farrar, Walton and Key Foster, Nell and Todd Fredella, Cheryl and Ron Fritz, Perry Given, Emily and Sam Heidi, Kitty and Trygg Hoff, Bill and Patti Ireland, Libby Lassiter and David Ball, Elizabeth and Tom Jernigan, Margaret and Jim Little, Janet and Matt Lusco, Laura and Burton McDonald;

Lynn and Scott Ortis, Lenora Pate and Steve Brickman, Liz and Andrew Pharo, Kristi and Keith Parrot, Kristin and Ken McPherson, Sid and Leanne Philips, Valerie and Ron Ramsbacher, Nicole and Billy Reed, Hillary and Mike Ross, D.J. and Karen Simonetti, Staci and Ben Thompson, Amy and Scott Tully, Ed and Danielle Weldon, Laura and Jesse Vogtle;

June and John Eagan, Anne and Sam Oliver, Brooke and Tom Coleman and Pratt Trucks and Chris Cole.

The fun continued at an after-party, where Bobby T and the Aristocrats played among special LED light effects.

Those enjoying the late party included Elizabeth and Chuck Branch, Melinda and Cotton Shallcross, Perryn and Mike Carroll, Francie and Ogden Deaton, Robin and Bradford Kidd, Cindy and Tom Marbury, Mary Louise King, Laurie Hereford, Patti Ann and Richard Randolph and Lisa Sharp and Jimmy Taylor Jr. ❖

Hope Gala Draws More than 500

From left: Kristi Parrot, Mark and Tricia Drew, Patsy and Bob Riley, Penney and Roger Hartline and Keith Parrot Photo special to the Journal

OTMJ.COMmore photos at

hopeful for a cure

Mark and Catherine Pugh, Todd and Nell Fredella

Garry and Terri Archer, Cindy and Tom Marbury

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 15 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAl social

Linly Heflin members were treated to a sneak peek of new fashion trends at their

September meeting at the Country Club of Birmingham.

Informal modeling by members previewed the upcoming 54th annual Linly Heflin Fashion Show and Luncheon set for Sept. 27. Megan LaRussa, style director of Southern Femme, will produce the show. Emcee is Miss Alabama 1994 Amie Beth Shaver.

The long-running fundrais-ing event is a partnership with Birmingham clothier Gus Mayer. Los Angeles-based designer Lourdes Chavez will present her fall/win-ter 2012 collection in the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel Ballroom.

Doors open just before noon. Tickets are $50 and available by calling the Linly Heflin office at 871-8171.

The scholarship luncheon and fashion show continues to be the primary fundraiser for the organiza-tion’s scholarship program, which benefits women seeking higher edu-cation in Alabama.

The Linly Heflin Unit is a group of 125 volunteers headed by president Dalton Blankenship. Co-chairmen of this year’s lun-cheon and fashion show are Fran Goodrich and Libba Williams.

Other key members involved in the event are Susan Alison, Happy Anthony, Patti Badham, Gina Boyd, Suzanne Chenoweth, Laura Colebeck, Deane Cook, Beth Corey, Kate Cotton, Martha DeBuys, Eugenia Greer, Kay Grisham, Leigh Hancock, Penney Hartline, Elizabeth Hubbard, Beff King, Kate Millhouse, Margaret

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To: [email protected]: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Date: aug. 2012

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From left: Sheryl and Jon Kimerling, Fred Ashe and Gin Phillips Photos special to the Journal

Judith Crittenden and Philippe Lathrop opened their home recently to host the Birmingham

Literacy Council’s final Signature Series of the 2012 season.

Among those on hand to meet Birmingham author Gin Phillips were Cathy and Tom Adams, Mary Francis and Bob Bailey, Peggy Goodwin, Sheryl and Jon Kimerling, Virginia Patterson, Joy and Ed Phillips, Rhoda Watkins, Elna Brendel, Jennifer Buettner and Ernest Bates, Dorothy Drake, Cathy Friedman, Jackie Goldstein, Virginia and John Hornsby, Jane Kelly, Leslie McLeod, Lani and Tom Powell, Carol Smith, Tracie Todd, Joel Williams and Kathy and John English.

Also attending were Jane Paris Smith and Dr. Chandler Smith. The Smiths have been faithful sup-porters of the Literacy Council and Signature Series, missing only one reception since the series began.

Phillips entertained the crowd with stories of her adventures in archeology as she wrote her new novel, “Come In and Cover Me.”

Literacy Council tutor Adrienne Marshall thanked patrons for their support and shared the story of her work with an 82-year old learner.

Tickets for the 2013 season go on sale at the end of November. To buy tickets, call the Literacy Council at 326-1925. ❖

A Signature Series

OTMJ.COMmore photos at

Gin Phillips Is Guest at Author

Event

John and Virginia Hornsby, Philippe Lathrop

Beth Wilder, Linda DeRocher, Tracie Todd, Carol Smith and Virginia Patterson

Frances Gorrie welcomed the Women’s Committee of 100 for Birmingham to her home

to celebrate the committee’s 2012 Guest Day.

Event chairman Bet Wright asked members to share their favorite after-noon tea refreshments.

Annette Green and Sandy Logan brought chicken salad and pimento cheese; Nita Collinsworth shared assorted cookies. Bowls of fruits came from Fay Hall, and Judy Haise brought chocolate bonbons and choco-late liqueur candies.

Gera Comfort, who created handmade notecards for those who attended, made chunky-nut brownies, while Catherine Allen, who gave the blessing, brought cheese straws.

Other items came from Ethel King’s granddaughter, owner of Ashley Mac’s, who also received the Small Business Award from the Committee of 100.

Sue Parker Trammel, Anne Hollans and Carolyn Reich served cranberry punch, tea and Cokes to members and their guests.

Dorothy McDaniel displayed her floral talent by filling a wooden con-tainer with pink garden roses, bells of Ireland, fuchsia stock, purple kale, Japanese asters, alchemilla, hydrangea and kermit fronds flanked with potato vines.

President Kathryn Porter thanked outgoing officers and committee members. She also introduced com-mittee past presidents Mary Louise Hodges, Frances Wideman, Elouise Williams, Helen Mills, Anne Hollins, Dr. Winyss Shepard and Anne Gibbons.

New executive officers are Carolyn Satterfield, president; Jeanna Westmoreland, first vice president; Jean Liles, second vice president; Pauline Fugazzotto, recording secretary, Carolyn Reigh, treasurer; and Patricia Barr, assistant treasurer.

Other officers are Winyss Shepard, Anne Durward, Katie Lasker, Frances Wideman, Elouise Williams, Anne Gibbons, Mary

Louise Hodges, Rebecca Mason, Lena Knight, Angela Comfort, Martha Black, Carolyn Long, Laura Ramsey and Harriet Maloof.

Carolyn Ratliff told guests about her recent Rotary Club trip to Thailand and Laos with her mother Carolyn Sloss, Dot Naughton, Betsy Bancroft, Alice Williams and Jo Ballard.

Catherine Cabaniss, Martha Bartlett, Marianne Sharbel and Catherine Shepherd admired the collection of paintings, while Nan Teninbaum, Lena Knight, Virginia McDorman, Ira Day, Rae Trimmer and Helen Mills recalled Prince Edward’s recent visit to Birmingham. ❖


The Rotaract Club of Birmingham held its fourth annual Hack-It Classic Golf Tournament Aug. 25

at Highland Golf Course.Twenty-one teams of four competed

in the tournament. The club also hosted a 19th Hole Party at Tin Roof.

The Rotaract Club of Birmingham was founded in 2004 to develop effec-tive leaders and promote responsible citizenship. The club’s membership includes young professionals committed to playing key roles in serving commu-nities locally, nationally and globally.

The Club’s Ready 2 Read proj-ect was recognized by Rotary International as the Service Project of the Year in 2009. The Rotaract Club of Birmingham is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Birmingham and Rotary International. ❖

To: Viki MullinsFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 Date: Sept. 2012






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To: [email protected]: OverTheMountainJournal,205-823-9646ph., 205-824-1246,faxDate: Sept.2012

ThisisyouraDprOOFfromtheOverTheMOunTainJOurnalfortheSept.20,2012issue.pleasefaxapprovalorchangesto824-1246.

pleasemakesureallinformationiscorrect,includingaddressandphonenumber!

pleaseinitialandfaxbackwithin24hours.ifwehavenotheardfromyouby5pmoftheFridaybeforethepressdate,

youradwillrunasis.WeprintthepaperMonday.

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From left: Anna Price, Brandy Bradford, Sarah Johnson, and Nicole Hudson Photo special to the Journal

Rotaract Club Hosts Hack-It Classic

Women’s Committee Hosts

Guest Day

Carolyn Satterfield, Jeanna Westmoreland, Jean Liles and Carolyn Reich Photo special to the Journal

The Birmingham Heart Ball Executive Leadership Team, a group of local business

leaders that cultivates sponsorships for the event, held its annual meet-ing recently at the Summit Club in downtown Birmingham.

Leaders included co-chairman Lee Thuston, managing partner of Burr & Forman; Kim Hull, Heart Guild president; honoree Terry Kellogg, president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama; Tammy Savage, Heart Ball chair-man; Zeke Smith, executive vice president of external affairs at Alabama Power; and Leigh Collier, who represented Wells Fargo, the Heart Ball’s signature sponsor.

Kellogg thanked all in atten-dance for their support, highlighting survivors of cardiovascular dis-eases and stroke who benefit from research and education funded by the American Heart Association.

Stan Starnes, CEO of ProAssurance, shared his personal connection to heart disease, encour-aging those present to keep in mind the American Heart Association’s 2020 Impact Goal: to improve by 2020 the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent.

Susan Compton of BB&T Bank attended the meeting on behalf of the AHA board of directors.

The 26th Birmingham Heart Ball will be March 2 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center. The event features live and silent auctions, entertainment and dancing, with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association.

For more information, visit www.heart.org/birminghamheartball. ❖


Heart Ball Leaders Host Annual Meeting

The Inverness Ladies Golf Association held its Member Guest Tournament Aug. 22.

Committee chairmen were Joyce Bonovitch, Jane Moore and Peg Perry.

More than 40 guests from 12 differ-ent country clubs played in the event. After golf, a luncheon was served and prizes were awarded.

Team winners included Nita Funderburg, Brenda Dailey, Betty Lenoir and Bok Stamper, first place; Pat Engel, Debbie Atchley, JoAnn Davis and Marie Roberts, second place; Donna Wynne, Carol Nuckles, Helen Walker and Crista Sligh, third place; Sue Clements, Lori Eans, Liz Crotwell and Joy Brown Clark, fourth place; Janet Barnes, Margie Kirkland, Valerie Mennen and Janet McPherson, fifth place; and Ann Jeffcoat, Barbara Woods, Pat Ervin and Lib Dillard, sixth place.

Other winners were Betty Lenoir and Linda Morris on No. 13, closest to the pin; Linda Morris on No. 8 and Sue Soloman on No. 14, longest drive; and Pat Engel, closest to the line. ❖

Inverness Golfers Host Tournament

From left: Lee Thuston, Kim Hull, Terry Kellogg, Tammy Savage and Zeke Smith Photos special to the Journal

Stan Starnes


The Birmingham Ski Club held its annual summer party at the Hoover Country Club Aug. 25.

In accordance with the event’s Greek theme, guests dressed in god-dess and warrior costumes.

Party chairman Debra Gilbreath and hostesses Suzanne Daniels, Joyce Wise, Sharon Tatum and Donna Walker planned a menu of Greek dishes and decorated the club in Greece’s colors of blue, white and gold. The Deja Blue band played while guests danced.

The party was the first opportunity to sign up for this season’s ski trips, cruises and rafting trips. More than 100 attended. ❖

To: AnitaFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Date: aug. 2012

This is your AD prOOF from the Over The MOunTAin JOurnAl for the Sep. 6, 2012 issue. please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.





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Amy Williamson assists Exceptional Foundation participant James with one of his paintings. Art is one of the many activities the program offers to adults with mental and physical disabilities. The public will have a chance to purchase some of the participantsʼ work at the foundationʼs art show Sept. 20. Proceeds from the show benefit the foundation. Journal photo by Laura McAlister



SUE MURPHY ON THEME BIRTHDAY PARTIES P. 2 • PATRIOTS DAY IN HOMEWOOD SEPT. 11 P. 4 • MAGIC CITY MILE BENEFITS BELL CENTER P. 6

BY LAURA MCALISTER

JOURNAL EDITOR

He starts with a blank sheet of butcher paper and then carefully selects his colors.

For this particular painting, James chooses a fiery red and a bright yellow. Then he delves into his work.

As a new participant in Homewood’s Exceptional Foundation, James has discov-ered a love for painting. He’s also made some pretty good friends.

The Exceptional Foundation is a non-profit organization serving mentally and physically challenged individuals. On a daily basis, it serves adults like James, but it also offers programs and summer camps for children.

On any given day at the center, partici-pants can be found working on an art proj-

ect like James with his painting. Or, if it happens to be a Wednesday afternoon, there may be some karaoke.

Whatever the activity may be, the pro-gram strives to provide these mentally and physically challenged individuals with social and recreational activities with peers, something they might not get otherwise.

“There’s always something going on here,” said Ginny Bastar, program director for the foundation. “They have a far more active social life than any of us.”

Usually activities are in the daytime, but on Sept. 20, the organization will open its doors for its ninth annual Exceptional Art Show, where budding artists like James will get to show off and sell their work.

Ruth Bean, a staff member at the Exceptional Foundation, said the show is a great way to tap into the talents of these

Foundation’s Show Helps Open Doors for Mentally and Physically Challenged

See EXCEPTIONAL, page 7

Art in ActionBirmingham Museum lands largest Norman Rockwell traveling exhibit, page 3Mountain Brook Artist creates paintings for the GOP National Convention, page 8 See how donors make a difference in fostering the area’s arts, page 12

EXCEPTIONAL ART

INSIDE

Back to school, OTM stu-dents begin a new yearSCHOOLS PAGE 23

Football-themed party raises funds for Childrenʼs team SOCIAL PAGE 14

Western Supermarkets partners with Emmet OʼNeal Library for wine festivalABOUT TOWN PAGE 6

Homemade foods highlight Middle East feast ABOUT TOWN PAGE 4

Cats and dogs reign at Picasso Pets eventSOCIAL PAGE 17

Make it personal... a custom

portrait or painting

by Judy Butler

Hand drawn and/or painted from photographs

in your choice of media,charcoal, pencil, pastels,

watercolor or oil/acrylic.

www.jbutlerart.com

or call 205-907-0700

e-mail [email protected]

The Perfect Gift.

Ski Club Hosts Summer Party

From left: Suzanne Daniels, Joyce Wise, Debra Gilbreath, Sharon Tatum and Donna Walker Photo special to the Journal

Rock & Roll Sushi in the Pinnacle Shopping Center in Trussville hosted a day of

live music on the patio to benefit the Alabama Rivers Alliance.

At the Aug. 11 event, owners Ryan and Annette Hallmark offered food and drink specials with 25 percent of the day's proceeds donated to the Alabama Rivers Alliance. The event also included a silent auction benefit-ing the ARA.

Music was provided by Bob Griffin and Leah Hill of One Eyed Mary, Ted Tedder and Ryan Bradley and B.J. Parnell.

ARA board president Henry Hughes and executive director Cindy Lowry attended the party. Also there were Melanie Smith, Baird Castleberry, Duncan Lamb, Leslie Ramey, Scott Russel from the Alabama Environmental Council, Frank Chitwood from Coosa Riverkeeper, Keith Tassin of the Nature Conservancy, Jeremy Adkins, Kelly Vail, Carol Vardaman, Kelli Beaird, Missy Allen, Meagan Wilson, Ryan Shaddix, Ashley Shaddix, Alison Griswold and artist Michael Fernambucq.

Other ARA participants included Katie Shaddix, Adam Johnston, Eartha McGoldrick, Rob Angus and James Lowery. ❖

Music Event Supports

Alabama Rivers Alliance

Baird and Kellee Castleberry Photos special to the Journal Leah Hill

20 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAlWeddings & engagements

Wilson-BeebeRachel Danielle Wilson and

Donald Alexander Beebe were mar-ried June 16 at Highlands United Methodist Church in the historic Five Points South district of Birmingham.

The wedding had a vintage feel with strong ties to history and tradi-tion. Rev. Mikah Hudson officiated the ceremony and was assisted by the bride’s uncle, Rev. Michael Robinson of Brundidge.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Richard Zeski of Birmingham and Dr. and Mrs. Kevin Dwight Wilson of Atlanta. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. Monza Henson Wilson and the late Mr. H. Dwight Wilson of Ozark and the late Mr.

and Mrs. Robert Eugene Lovvorn of Dothan.

The bride is a 2007 graduate of Auburn University and 2012 graduate of Clemson University with a master’s degree in biological sciences.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Guy Beebe of Mobile. He is the grandson of Mr. James Rockett Van Hoose and the late Mrs. Van Hoose of Sarasota, Fla., and Mr. Norman Guy Beebe and the late Mrs. Beebe of Jacksonville, Fla.

Mr. Beebe is a 2007 graduate of the University of South Alabama and is completing his doctorate in envi-ronmental engineering at Clemson University.

Given in marriage by her parents, the bride wore an ivory Alvina Valenta fit-and-flare silk duchess satin gown with a white empire Alencon lace bodice and off the shoulder neckline. The dress featured a lace back with the center waistline accented by a bow and streamers. A deep border of Alencon lace surrounded the hemline and sweep train. She wore her mother’s white fingertip veil adorned with appliqués, pearls and Swarovski crystals.

Her wedding rings belonged to the groom’s grandmother, the late Mrs. Barbara Clark Van Hoose. Ivory double-face satin ribbon was festooned through her cascading bouquet of antique green hydrangeas, blush peo-nies, porcelain roses, white lilies, free-

sia and stephanotis with pearls. A small piece of lace from her grandmother’s wedding dress was included.

Rebecca Walton Quinn of Fairhope was the matron of honor. Brooke Gail Wilson, the bride’s 3-year-old sister, was the flower girl.

The groom’s father was his best man. Ushers included the groom’s brother, David Andrew Beebe of Mobile; Nathaniel Dwight Robinson, cousin of the bride, of Auburn; and John Richard Zeski. Matthew Dwight Wilson, the bride’s 5-year-old brother, was the ring bearer.

Greeters included the groom’s sister, Allison Renee Beebe of Mobile; Karoline Kristine Wilson of Birmingham; and Marian Margaret McDonald of Auburn. Acolytes were Allison Renee Beebe, David Andrew Beebe, Nathaniel Dwight Robinson and Joshua Andrew Nelson of Anniston, cousin of the bride.

A tea reception hosted by the mother of the bride immediately fol-lowed the wedding in the church greeting space. A string quartet orches-trated by the Cahaba River Strings provided entertainment for the after-noon. Family and friends were hosted at a beach-themed rehearsal dinner by the groom’s parents at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.

After a honeymoon trip to San Francisco, the couple live in Clemson, S.C.

Yoder-CohenMr. and Mrs. Stephen Alan Yoder

of Birmingham announce the engage-ment of their daughter, Caroline Whitney Yoder, to Seth Daniel Cohen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Alan Cohen of Pittsfield, Mass.

The bride-elect is the granddaugh-ter of Mrs. Jack Melville Whitney II of Chicago and the late Mr. Whitney and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Esser Yoder Sr. of Naples, Fla.

Miss Yoder is a cum laude gradu-ate of Duke University with bache-lor’s degrees in English and psychol-ogy. She received a master’s degree in nutrition from Meredith College in

Raleigh, N.C. She was a member of Chi Omega sorority.

The prospective groom is the grandson of the late Dr. and Mrs. Sheldon Sumner Goldberg and Mr. Moritz Anton Cohen Jr. of Bethesda, Md., and the late Mrs. Honey Cohen.

Mr. Cohen is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Rochester with bachelor’s degrees in physics and mathematics. He received a master’s degree in physics from Duke University, where he is a doc-toral candidate in physics. Mr. Cohen is employed with Duke University.

The wedding is planned for Nov. 3.

Chandler-GibsonMary Lawrence Chandler and

James McMillan Gibson were mar-ried June 23 at Canterbury United Methodist Church. The Rev. Mike Holley officiated the evening ceremony. A reception was held following the cer-emony at Vestavia Country Club.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cary Scott Chandler of Birmingham. She is the granddaugh-ter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Joseph Lawrence of Augusta, Ga., and Mrs.

John Chapple Chandler Jr. and the late Mr. Chandler of Carrollton, Ga.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cecil Gibson Jr. of Thomasville. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. James Ray Spinks Sr. of Sunny South and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cecil Gibson Sr. of Thomasville.

Given in marriage by her father, the bride wore an ivory gown of Alençon lace over silk tulle accented by a vintage satin sash, featuring a hand-knotted silver and gold floral medal-lion, and a cathedral-length train. Her fingertip-length veil of French illusion was edged in lace, and she carried a bouquet of white roses and stephanotis.

Chapple Christine Chandler and Elizabeth Sparks Chandler served as their sister’s honor attendants. Jessica Alyse Dewberry, Joanna Michelle Everett, Mary Elizabeth Gibson, Mandy Jones Graham, Campbell Brown Marshall, Rachael Jean Sparrow and Megan Allyssa Williams were bridesmaids. Mary Kathryn Elizabeth Martin was flower girl.

Robert Cecil Gibson Jr., was his son’s best man. Groomsmen included Preston Bailey Cates, Cary Scott Chandler Jr., Seth Henson

Crosby, Robert Cecil Gibson III, Michael Weslee Hagler, Stephen Kyle Hammon, Benjamin Whitfield Hughey and James Lawrence Spinks. Ushers were Wade O’ Connell Christopher, Chance Allen Graham, Jordan Andrew Marshall and Benjamin Henry Williams III. Andrew Sparks Watson was ring bearer.

Frank Joseph Lawrence III was crucifer. Acolytes were John Henry Lawrence and James William Watson. Dr. Lester Seigel was organist. Vocalists were Daniel Seigel and Jennifer Faulkner Seigel.

The bride is a graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and has a master’s degree in education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a teacher at Clarke Preparatory School in Grove Hill.

The groom is a graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He is employed as operations manager of Alabama Timber Industries in Thomasville.

Following a wedding trip to Italy and France, the couple live in Thomasville.

398 Chesser Drive, Suite 3 | Chelsea, AL 35043

Here we GROW again!Henderson & Walton Women’s Center is excited to announce our new satellite office in Chelsea! The physi-cians you know and trust at our main office in Birmingham will now be coming to YOU in Chelsea. They bring with them the excellence you have come to expect—healthcare that is delivered in a personal, considerate, sensitive and knowledgeable manner. Henderson & Walton’s physicians are Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and affiliated with St. Vincent’s Birmingham.

So, if you’ve been looking for quality women’s healthcare, you’ve found it—right here in your neighborhood! Give us a call today at (205) 678-8093 to set up an appointment in our Chelsea office and meet our physicians.

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 21 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAl New BusiNess

By Margaret FryMire

Journal InTern

eighteenth Street, in the heart of down-town Homewood, houses a variety of clothing boutiques, decorative

shops and little lunch spots. nestled among the stores is rachel Vincent’s a Touch of Whimsy.

light and airy, the shop holds everything from hanging daybeds and dining tables to wood picture frames, pottery pieces, throw pillows and scarves. The shop owners act as a great couple-team. Stephen Vincent, rachel’s husband, builds all the furniture out of wood, and rachel does all the finish-ing work. They do custom orders of wood furniture ranging from tables to bookshelves to daybeds.

opening her own shop had long been rachel’s dream, and it started to become a reality through a most unlikely circum-stance.

rachel had been in nursing school at Bevill State Community College while her husband Stephen attended the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford university.

Her plan was to pursue nursing while her husband completed school and one day in the future open her own shop. Then on april 27, 2011, rachel and Stephen found them-selves among those hit by the tornadoes that ran rampant through the state last year.

“When the tornado hit, it just turned everything around,” rachel said.

The Vincents’ home in Pleasant Grove was damaged but salvageable.

The tornadoes jarred rachel, and she decided not to put off her dream of owning and running her own shop.

“I just decided, this is something I really want to do right now,” rachel said. “I didn’t

want to wait.”With the support of her husband, she

began to pursue that dream. She started with her home’s front porch swing that was broken during the tornadoes.

“We made the front porch swing into a picture frame,” rachel said. “When you tear apart your swing, it comes into three squares, so we started making those picture frames.”

Showcased on the wall at a Touch of Whimsy are several sets of the frames. rough-hewn wood frames, crafted by Stephen and finished by rachel, are sold in sets of three like the swing frame or indi-vidually for smaller spaces.

The couple started with the picture

frames, added some mirrors and a few of rachel’s paintings and headed to art and furniture shows in atlanta. From there, the business began to grow.

rachel asked Stephen if he would try his hand at building a custom kitchen table. He did. adding a headboard, the table and a few more furniture pieces to their shop, rachel and Stephen started receiving cus-tom orders.

rachel said she chose to open a shop in Homewood rather than in Pleasant Grove because she’s always had a fondness for 18th Street. She said she would not have wanted to put her shop anywhere else.

“I love this street,” said rachel. “I love how all the stores complement each other.”

When driving in downtown Homewood one day early in the year, she saw a space available for rent on 18th Street. The original spot she looked at was too small to house the furniture, but she looked across the street and noticed another avail-able space. She and Stephen were thrilled to settle on that spot in February of this year. They opened the doors of a Touch of Whimsy March 30.

The shop name itself comes from a favorite saying of rachel’s mother and aunt. Both avid decorators, the women would bring home a cute soap dish or a quaint lamp and with that piece say they were adding “a touch of whimsy” to the room. When rachel was trying to come up with a name for the shop, the phrase imme-diately came to mind.

a Touch of Whimsy houses a variety of decorative and gift items, carries pot-tery and an all-natural skincare line from local vendors and receives custom furniture orders for tables, beds, bookshelves and more. ❖

Rachel Vincent, above, with the wooden frames that helped start her Homewood shop, A Touch of Whimsy. Below, Stephen Vincent makes all the wood furniture, including this daybed, featured in the shop. Journal photos by Margaret Frymire

Tornadoes to TablesStorm Spurs Rachel Vincent to Open Homewood Shop

A Touch of Whimsy

NEW IN TOWN

New in the OTM Area?

Get Connected

Where: 2937 18th St. South Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.www.atouchofwhimsydecor.com

Incubate GalleryIncubate Gallery opened this summer and features

local, emerging artists. Owner and Birmingham native Billie Dupree is

introducing an eclectic collection of art to Birmingham from her 41st Street South gallery in the revitalized neighborhood of Avondale.

Billie Dupree is an artist and entrepreneur who is returning to her artistic roots after more than 30 years in accounting.

The gallery also has a studio, where art classes will be offered.

For more information visit incubategallery.com.

The New Business section features new businesses in the Over the Mountain area. Know of an interesting business that’s recently moved to the area? Let us know. It could be featured in this space. Call 823-9646 or email [email protected].

The chambers of commerce in the Over the Mountain area offer several networking opportunities. Below are a sampling of some of them.

Hoover5:30 - 7:00 p.m. The Hoover Business After Hours

will be from 5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 27 at Southern Legacy BBQ & Brew at 2943 John Hawkins Parkway. Contact Lyndsie Harman 988-0744 or [email protected] for information. www.legacybbq.com/.

vestavIa HIllsThe deadline to sign up for Vestavia Hills’ annual

Holiday in the Hills is Sept. 21. Holiday in the Hills is a series of community events that take place in the city during November and December, celebrating the holiday season. It is also a passport to savings and prizes when visiting the participating Holidays in the Hills businesses. For more information on Holiday in the Hills or to fill out a merchant form, visit www.vestaviahills.org.

MountaIn brookThe Mountain Brook Chamber will host its monthly

lunch Oct. 11 at Park Lane in English Village. John Cooper, director of the Alabama Department of Transportation, will discuss current and future regional transportation projects. Reservations are $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Table sponsors are $250. Visit www.welcometomountainbrook.com for more information.

HoMewoodThe Homewood Chamber of Commerce and the

Homewood Public Library will sponsor a Disaster Preparedness for Small Business Workshop from 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 25 in the large auditorium at the library. This program will feature Tom Appleby, an experts in the field. He will be teaching how to implement a disaster recovery plan that fits your business.

bIrMInGHaMThe Birmingham Business Alliance will host its

annual Small Business Awards from 5:30-9 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Harbert Center. The BBA opened nominations for the awards this summer. The BBA’s Small Business Council hosts the Small Business Awards each year to complement its year-round efforts to educate and grow small businesses throughout the Birmingham region. For more information visit www.birminghambusinessalliance.com

22 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAlhomeantiques at the gardens

The Botanical Garden’s 2012 Antiques at The Gardens will feature regionally and nationally known designers known as tastemakers. In this section, you’ll find a taste of what some of these Tastemakers will have to offer by taking a peak inside their homes.

Clockwise, from above left: Decorator Mary Evelyn McKee’s granddaughter Madelyn is right at home in her new bedroom in Mary Evelyn’s Mountain Brook home. Mary Evelyn loves mixing storied family pieces in her home. The table, she said, has been in every home the McKees have lived in. A steel bowl sink gives the powder room a modern edge, but antique mirrors and a silver trumpet vase give the room some traditional touches.

ary Evelyn McKee’s Mountain Brook home was originally built for an extended family, but for the last couple of years it’s been used by empty nesters – until recently.

The interior decorator and owner of Mary Evelyn Interiors in Homewood has lived in her Mountain Brook home for about eight years. Her three boys are grown, but one recently brought his family back to Birmingham from California.

Temporarily, the family of three are making their home with Mary Evelyn, and true to her design style,

she’s making it one the family will likely want to stay in.“This house really was built with an extended family in mind,” she said. “So

we’ve really come full circle.”It also comes full circle with Mary Evelyn’s theme at this year’s Birmingham

Botanical Gardens’ Antique at The Gardens. Mary Evelyn is one of the tastemakers, and her theme will be pied-á-terre, a term frequently used in big cities to refer to a

Home ExtensionDecorator Adapts House to Beautifully

Accommodate Her FamilyStory by Laura McAlister • Photos by Lee Walls Jr.

Mmeet the tastemakerMary Evelyn McKee of Mountain Brook began her interior design career in 1986, which later led to the opening of her downtown Homewood shop, Mary Evelyn Interiors. She describes the shop as a “well edited” collection of great design, all U.S. made.

The seventh annual Antiques at The Gardens: Arts, Jewelry and Antiques will be at Birmingham

Botanical Gardens Oct. 4-7.Presented by IberiaBank, this year’s

event will feature “tastemakers” – regionally and nationally known archi-tects, interior designers and landscape designers.

Each designer will curate themed areas with goods selected from Birmingham and other sources around the country. The show will continue to include dealers from across the U.S. presenting antiques, furniture, porcelain, fine art, silver, garden accessories and jewelry.

Tastemakers include Barbara Ashford, Wendy Barze, Tammy Connor, Cameron Crowe, Cathy Harvey, Leah Hazzard, Judy Hill, Bill Ingram, Marjorie Johnston, Karen Luce, Mary Evelyn McKee, Ware Porter, Troy Rhone, Kitty White and Liz Woods.

Tastemakers will join national dealers including John Dennison Fine Art from North Myrtle Beach, S.C., Thomas M. Fortner Antiques from Memphis, Tenn., Joseph M. Hayes from Columbus, Ohio, McDounough Fine Art from Atlanta, Edwin C. Skinner Antiques from Fairhope and Whitehall Antiques from Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Sterne Agee Gala in The Gardens kicks off the weekend’s fes-tivities Oct. 4. The exclusive black-tie event gives guests an opportunity to shop in a cocktail environment before the sale opens to the public Friday.

This year’s Red Diamond Lecture Series Oct. 5 will feature renowned chef and author Alex Hitz.

The Atlanta native regularly hosts elegant, Southern-themed dinner par-ties in his Los Angeles kitchen and has welcomed guests like former First Lady Nancy Reagan and heiress Betsy Bloomingdale. His food line, The Beverly Hills Kitchen, is available exclusively through Home Shopping Network, and he will release a new cookbook this fall.

Hitz will sign copies of his cook-book, which will be available for pur-chase, following the lecture.

For more on Hitz, see the Oct. 4 issue of the Journal.

Proceeds from Antiques at The Gardens support educational programs at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Since 2006, the event has raised more than $1.8 million for the gardens. ❖

Antiques Abound at BBG Show

Antiques at The

GardensAntiques at the Gardens will be Oct. 4-7. For a complete schedule of events see page 25.

See home extenSion, page 23

small, secondary living space – or in the case of Mary Evelyn and part of her home, a temporary living space.

When it comes to tackling such spaces, Mary Evelyn takes the same approach as she would in a larger per-manent space: It should be comfortable and inviting, combining special family pieces with beautiful design.

“I’m inspired by personal items of the people who inhabit the space,” she said. “It has to have a soul. It has to come from the people who spend time there.”

Evidence of this philosophy is found all over Mary Evelyn’s own home.

Whether it’s in her permanent liv-ing space or her granddaughter’s room, Mary Evelyn mixes family heirlooms with a combination of modern and tra-ditional pieces to create spaces that are inviting and, as she likes to say, “less than perfect, and not too demanding.”

Take her granddaughter’s new room, for example.

That was a fun one for Mary Evelyn. Being the mother of three boys, she said it was fun to create a room for her 3-year-old granddaughter, Madelyn.

While it would have been easy to go with an all-over pink – which there is plenty of in the bedroom – Mary Evelyn added some surprising yet still feminine touches, like the wallpaper. The Nina Campbell wallpaper is covered in butterflies but has a softer palette. Mary Evelyn liked the way the pattern paired with an old rocking chair

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 23 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAl home

2116 2nd Avenue North • (205) 251-3381www.levysfinejewelry.com

To: JenniferFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 Date: Sept. 2012

This is your AD PrOOF from the OvEr THE MOuNTAiN JOurNAl for the Sept. 20, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.


Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

For over 90 years, Levy’s has been Birmingham's Specialist in

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Visit us at this year's Antiques at the Gardens

October 5th - 7thBirmingham Botanical Gardens

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Lighting • Linens • Candles Florals • Accessories • Rugs

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home extension, from page 20

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Mary Evenly has several paintings by New Orleans artist Beth Lambert. This one hangs in the foyer of her Mountain Brook home.

24 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAlhome

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Journal EdiTor

When it comes to interior design, decorator Tammy Connor considers lighting

to be somewhat like the icing on a cake.

When done correctly, it only enhances the decor, said the prin-cipal owner of Tammy Connor interior design in Homewood.

Her nearby home in Hollywood is a good example of just how the right lighting and fixtures can make a home shine.

“i have lots of lamp lighting in my house,” she said. “The way i approach lamps is i want them to be functional but pretty. They’re just sort of the icing. it’s the opportunity

to introduce something pretty but also functional.”

Tammy said there are three types of home lighting. There’s general or ambient lighting, which provides overall illumination of a room or space. Then there is task lighting for specific purposes like reading, cooking and preparing food. Finally, there’s accent lighting, which is used to add drama to a particular piece like a painting.

Tammy will have different types of lighting and show how they can enhance a home at her exhibit at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ antiques at The Gardens. as one of the event’s tastemakers, her theme will be “let There Be light.”

Just like in her home, Tammy said most of the lamps and light fixtures she’ll have on display will come from markets she frequently visits in Charleston, S.C., new orleans, new York and atlanta.

Tammy has filled her home with timeless lamps and lighting fixtures to create the sort of Southern ele-gance she’s become known for.

Tammy and her husband, who have two children, have lived in their house for about six years. The Tudor-style home built in 1926 was familiar to Tammy long before the couple purchased it.

“This is a house i grew up play-ing in,” she said. “as a kid i always loved it.”

Tammy grew up not far from her current home, and her mother still lives right around the corner.

Though she loved the house growing up, she admitted it needed some work by the time she and her

Decorator Tammy Connor’s exhibit at Antiques at The Gardens is themed “Let there be Light.” In her Hollywood home, she prefers lamp lighting, but she does use some accent lighting in her book shelves. Photos courtesy Jean Allsopp

Shining MomentsTammy Connor Knows How to

Light Up a Home

meet the tastemakerTammy Connor is the principal owner of Tammy Connor Interior Design. Founded in Charleston, S.C., the business is now in Homewood, where Tammy and her family live. She recently was awarded the Phillip Trammell Shutze Award for Interior Design and was named one of Traditional Home’s 2012 New Trad Designers.


To: Al and HeathFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, 205-823-9646 ph., 205-824-1246, fax Date: April 2012

This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the April 19th, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.





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To: 323-6014From: Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 Date: Sept. 2012






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This is your AD PrOOF from the OvEr THE MOuNTAiN JOurNAl for the April 5, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.


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husband purchased it.They renovated the kitchen and

refinished part of the attic to start.They also added lots of built-ins,

especially in the study, where they sandblasted a painted wall to reveal the original stonework. The light fixture there is from a flea market Tammy visited in France.

She also added a cozy seating area at the entryway of the house.

“I wanted it to be welcoming, but it was a small space,” Tammy said. “So we added the built-in seat.”

When it came to the decor, Tammy said she wanted pieces that reflect her style but also ones that tell a story. She points to her 4-year-old daughter’s room as an example.

The room is a soft shade of pink with more built-in shelving. A col-lection of crosses with a special sig-nificance hangs over the bed.

“The crosses are all ones my friends made at a baby shower,” she said. “I like things that tell a story. It makes them more than just

‘stuff.’”She also likes to layer textures

and mix different styles.Throughout her home she uses

soft, neutral colors, accenting them with accessories she’s collected from her travels.

She said most of her lighting is from lamps with one-of-a-kind shades. She’s added some accent lighting for artwork and book shelves, but for the most part she wanted to keep with the style of the house. ❖

Above: The crosses above her daughter’s crib were made by Tammy’s friends at a baby shower for her. Below, left: Tammy added a seating area to the foyer to make the small space welcoming. Right, a small lamp gives off soft light in Tammy’s daughter’s nursery.

Antiques at The Gardens

Schedule

Public Show hourS • Oct. 5 and 6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. • Oct. 7, 1-5 p.m. • Tickets: $10

SPecial eventS • Sterne Agee Gala in The Gardens Preview Event featuring culinary tastemakers: Veranda on Highland, Fleming’s, Ocean, Kathy G, GianMarco’s and daniel george • Oct. 4, 7 p.m.-midnight. • Tickets: $150 (includes show admission)

red diamond lecture SerieS: alex hitz • Oct. 5, 10:30 a.m. • Tickets: $30 (includes show admission)

luncheon • Oct. 5, 12:30 p.m. • Tickets: $125 (includes show admission and lecture)

For more information, contact Shelly McCarty at 414-3965 or [email protected] or visit www.bbgardens.org/antiques. ❖

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26 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNALHOME

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This is your AD PrOOF from the OvEr THE MOuNTAiN JOurNAl for the May 17, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.


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of the basement, or what she refers to as the dungeon, and into the daylight.

Construction work on a neigh-boring house allowed the family to finally make some additions to the house it’s lived in since 1994.

Her new studio, unlike the base-ment, is open with lots of light. Windows on one side open up to the pool, also added during the renova-tion about a year ago.

Kitty said her studio is really “organized chaos.” She has fabrics and stencils laid out on tables as well as an area where she creates jew-elry. Her eclectic pieces are carried by Regina Jewelry and Treasures at Gus Mayer and at boutiques in Palm Beach, Dallas and Nashville.

When it comes to her painted fab-rics, as well as her home decor, Kitty is often inspired by her travels.

Displayed on a top shelf in her studio are some Indian block stamps she found at a jewelry show in Tucson, Ariz.

“I just like things that are a little

different and interesting,” Kitty said. “I love a little ethnic influence.”

Looking out the window of Kitty’s studio, one is transported to a far-away country. The pool has the feel of a Greek or Italian resort with slate flooring. Large lounge chairs with white cushions surround the rectangu-lar-shaped pool. Indian-style ceramic elephants add to the worldly feel.

Kitty said the pool area has been a great source of inspiration for her. She even duplicated the tiling trim in the pool on one of her painted fabrics.

Inside the house, Kitty continues to use paint and interesting pieces to accessorize her home.

She painted the built-in cabinets in the kitchen as well as an adjoin-ing office in a taupe-gray. Her dining room is white, but stencils of dark green diamonds give the room an old Hollywood feel. The light blue ceiling adds to the ambiance.

Throughout the home are pieces purchased during the family’s trav-els. Some favorites include white, beaded chairs the couple found in Los Angeles while celebrating Kitty’s birthday.

“We found a guy from Nigeria

that had these chairs,” she said. “I just thought they were incredible, so my husband asked me if I wanted them for my birthday. I thought, I do jew-elry, and these are beaded chairs.”

Some of the décor, like the many pictures from Italy that cover the walls, pays homage to places Kitty hopes to go someday.

Kitty loves old books, and she and a friend found an old book of photography from Italy. Instead of arguing over who would get the book, the friends split it up. Kitty framed the pages, hanging them throughout her home.

“The book is all of Italy, primarily Venice,” she said. “I’ve never been, but I’ve lived all around it.”

Kitty’s house is certainly a blend of her different artistic abilities as well.

She graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in apparel design. Her love for paint finishes was inspired by her aunt, artist Penny Trammell.

“She invited me to go for a two-week workshop in San Francisco,” Kitty said. “I loved it. My aunt has really been a great influence to me.”

The workshop taught Kitty about many painting techniques and fin-ishes, and she used those skills while working as an assistant decorator with Birmingham designer Richard Tubb. Later, she opened her own studio in Pepper Place where she worked on both residential and commercial proj-ects. One of her favorite projects was glazing the walls of Birmingham’s Highlands Bar and Grill.

Kitty would later get into jewelry design, and her latest venture has been painted textiles, which will be on display at Antiques at The Gardens.

“I’ve always loved textiles,” she said. “This has created a new avenue for my medium. Instead of painting walls, I’m painting fabrics.

“It’s labor intensive, but I love com-ing up with something different.” ❖

BRUSHING UP, from Cover

Clockwise from near right: The pool and art studio were added to Kittyʼs Mountain Brook home about a year ago. In addition to painting, Kitty also makes jewelry. She painted the fabric for a pair of stools in her family room.

Journal photos by Lee Walls Jr.


To: TomFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, 205-823-9646 ph., 205-824-1246, fax Date: Sept. 2012






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To: [email protected]: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Date: September 2012

This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the September 20, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.


Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.If we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper

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that has been in her family for five gen-erations.

The old wooden single bed frame is also special to the family. It was Madelyn’s father’s when he was a child; now, it’s covered in hot pink bed-ding. Pillows in shades of pink by John Robshaw decorate the bed. Another splash of hot pink is found in the chair and chaise where Madelyn likes to sit and read.

“I’ve never had a little girl, so I might have gone overboard on the pink, but I think that’s OK,” Mary Evelyn said. “I love the quote that ‘hot pink is the navy blue of India.’”

When it came to decorating the per-manent living spaces in the house, the color palette is much more neutral.

The breakfast room is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Cotton Ball. Mary Evelyn designed the banquette seating with a Greek key trim along the bot-tom that’s paired with an antique trestle table.

“That table has been in every house we’ve had,” she said. “It has a new life every time we move.”

Mary Evelyn found the large round mirror above the table years ago at Robert Hill Antiques. The chest on the opposite wall of the table repeats the Greek key border found on the ban-quette seating.

“I’ve just always been drawn to neo-classical elements,” Mary Evelyn said.

She also is drawn to art, which is displayed throughout the house.

One of her favorite paintings hangs in the gallery at the front of the house. It’s by Birmingham artist Annie Kammerer Butrus.

“It’s one of a series she’s done over the years on the Chilton County peach harvest,” Mary Evelyn said.

Mary Evelyn also loves to mix the old with the new, as she does in the downstairs powder room.

There, a modern steel bowl sink sits on top of a custom-made table. A wall of antique mirror gives the room a classic feel, and the room wouldn’t be complete without a family treasure: A trumpet vase that belonged to her hus-band’s great-grandmother is displayed next to the sink.

Mary Evelyn’s home is a mix of family heirlooms and classic pieces, giving the spaces a timeless feel, which is the design philosophy she’s had since starting her career in 1986.

Her success in decorating led her to

open her store in Homewood about six years ago. There, just like in her home, she has a wide variety of accessories and furniture to make a home inviting yet comfortable. ❖

The breakfast room in the McKee house is a gathering spot for the family. Soft neutral colors make the room warm and inviting. Below, a painting by Birmingham artist Annie Butrus is a favorite of Mary Evelyn’s. It hangs in the gallery of her home. Journal photos by Lee Walls

home extension, from page 21

Some four-legged friends have enrolled in a new class called Barkology 101 at Hoover’s Crossroads alter-native school.

The school’s New Beginnings program received a grant from the Hoover City Schools Foundation this summer to fund the new class. Eight students and five dogs from the school’s personal development class were chosen to work together in becoming Hand in Paw Therapy Teams.

During the first semester, the students will go to the Hoover PetSmart every Wednesday for dog obedience training with an accredited instructor. During the second semester, they will work with Hand in Paw to certify the dogs as visiting therapy dogs while the students will study to become handlers for the dogs.

The students will ultimately be able to take the dogs to

places such as Children’s Hospital, UAB Hospital, senior living facilities and possibly other schools.

New Beginnings accepts 60 students each academic year and provides nontraditional learning activities to help young people achieve personal, academic and vocational success. The class is led by teachers Kim Spidell, Charles Crowder and LeAnna Hurst, Gateway counselor.

Therapy dogs are not new to the school campus. Principal Anna Whitney, the program creator, began taking her dog Andy to school six years ago. She saw the impact his presence had on students and staff and later added two more dogs, Gumbo and Izzie.

Whitney wanted to “do something out of the box” to enhance student learning and to be a positive reinforce-ment for the students as they learn to be good citizens. ❖

28 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAlschools

Participating in Hoover Crossroad’s Barkology 101 are front from left: Taylor Brewer, dog Clara Bell and Sara Jane Griffin. Back row: Bella, Charles Crowder, Katilyn Sanders, Kevin Thrasher, Josh Wakefield, dog Evie, Asia Rodriquez, Rachel Little, LeAnna Hurst, Kim Spidell and dog Big Gumbo.


Going to the DogsHoover Crossroads Program Offers Students Chance

to Work with Four-Legged Friends

School Notes

Rebelettes Win Camp Awards

The Vestavia Hills High School Rebelette dance team attended a National Dance Alliance camp this summer at Guntersville State Park.

The varsity Rebelettes received a Gold Circle of Winners Award and a bid to NDA’s national competition after their home team performance.

Varsity and junior varsity teams received superior ratings and NDA Spirit Stick awards for their positive attitudes and cooperation during camp.

Individual winners included:Top Gun: Rachel Caskey, turns;

Curran Umphrey, kicks; Rachael Snow, hip hop; and Ashlyn Lovell, leaps.

All American nominees: Maria Inman, Allison Howell, Chandler Kitchens, Emily Lytle, Haley Evans, Jane Thornton, Anna Watts, Caroline Bottcher, Maria Christine, Rachel Caskey, Rachael Snow, Brooke Westhoven, Chandler Moss, Ellie Barrentine, Haley Dellacio, Ashlyn Lovell, Catherine Carroll and Curran Umphrey.

All-American team members: Jane Thornton, Maria Inman, Caroline Bottcher, Allison Howell, Curran Umphrey, Maria Christine and Ashlyn Lovell.

St. Francis Hosts Open House

St. Francis Xavier School welcomed parents to an open house celebration Aug. 25. The theme of the evening was “A Day as a St. Francis Xavier School

Student.”Parents gathered in their student’s

homerooms to begin the evening with prayer over the intercom. Homeroom teachers then told parents about expectations for the year.

Parents participated in an abbreviated schedule that allowed them to go to each class. Each group traveled as a homeroom to different places throughout the building.

Eighth grade students wore their best uniforms and served as Ambassadors for the evening, guiding parents through the halls. Classes visited were art,

guidance, physical education, library, Spanish, science lab, lunch, outdoor classroom, computer and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

Parents were also introduced to the school’s 2012-13 theme, Strong in Faith, which was displayed in many ways throughout the building. The theme is a response to Pope Benedict’s call for a “Year of Faith” to begin this October.

The school will be using YOUCAT, the youth version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as a resource for learning more about their Catholic faith. The school is also planning special opportunities to practice faith as well.

The event was sponsored by the St. Francis Xavier Home and School Association, which provided refreshments in the lunchroom. Father Bob Sullivan, pastor at St. Francis Xavier School, was on hand to greet parents.

Gwin Flags Will Show Daily Air Quality

As part of a project initiated by Abigail Ford and Emma Burch, Harriette W. Gwin Elementary is raising a brightly colored flag to make teachers, coaches, students and members of the

community aware of daily air quality conditions.

Gwin’s students and staff have joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s School Flag Program to help protect children’s health. Gwin will begin raising its flags in May.

Students will raise a flag each day based on the color of the Air Quality Index to show how polluted the air is expected to be, according to Traci Ingleright, Gwin enrichment specialist. By comparing the colored flags to the AQI, teachers and coaches will know what actions to take to protect the health of their students.

Green signals good air quality, yellow is moderate and orange means unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children and people with asthma. Red signals unhealthy air for everyone, and a purple flag means the air quality is very unhealthy and sensitive groups should avoid all outdoor exertion while others should limit outdoor exertion.

The flags can help students with asthma track their symptoms when air pollution levels are in an unhealthy range. Flags may also help teachers know when to modify outdoor activities.

Prince Will Compete in Miss Alabama Teen USA

Gabrielle Prince, a senior at John Carroll Catholic High School, was recently chosen from applicants throughout the state to take part in the Miss Alabama Teen USA pageant.

The winner will go on to compete in the national Miss Teen USA pageant, owned by Donald Trump and NBC Universal.

The preliminary rounds will be Dec. 7 with the finals Dec. 8 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel’s Performing Arts Center.

Prince’s title is Miss Magic City Teen. She is a member of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Birmingham.

As a contestant, she will speak about bullying, cyber-bullying and self-esteem issues. She is partnering with the City of Birmingham’s Division of Youth Services campaign KNOWBULL: Take the U out of Bullying under the direction of Cedric Sparks, executive director. The KNOWBULL campaign is a traveling performance troupe which uses a dramatic approach to show youth how to apply positive choices to difficult situations.

Prince said she’d like to win the title to promote this platform and to raise awareness of a medical condition called sarcoidosis.

“I love Alabama and am proud to be an Alabamian,” said Prince. “Being Miss Alabama Teen USA offers me a way to give back to the state and also gives me a platform to heighten the awareness and early treatment of a disease entitled sarcoidosis, a systematic inflammatory disease that can affect any organ.

“Also, I would like to continue spreading the word to my peers about peer pressure, bullying and self-esteem issues.”

Vestavia High’s Rebelettes won team and individual honors at a summer dance camp. Photo special to the Journal

Ambassadors for the St. Francis Xavier Home and School meeting included, from left: Sami Sinak, Maria Holder and Jackson Clark. Photo special to the Journal

Gwin fifth graders Abigail Ford, left, and Emma Burch, students of enrich-ment teacher Traci Ingleright, started a project to raise awareness of air quality conditions. Photo special to the Journal

Gabrielle Prince

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 29 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAl schools

Learning Takes Shape at HHSHomewood High School 11th and 12th grade students in Mindy McBride’s anatomy and physiology class recently participated in hands-on learning by using modeling clay to demonstrate their understanding of body planes and ana-tomical landmarks.

BWF Students Take Marshmallow Challenge

Fifth-graders at Mountain Brook’s Brookwood Forest Elementary School learned about the importance of teamwork during the Marshmallow Challenge.

Students in Emily Brown’s science class at BWF were required to work in teams to build the tallest structures they could.

The catch was the building materials they were required to use in the project. Students could create their structures using only 20 pieces of dried spaghetti, one yard of string, one yard of tape and one marshmallow.

The students had to first plan how to use the materials to get their structures off the ground.

Teachers said the exercise taught the students how to execute a plan by working together and that they also learned not to make assumptions about anything--especially when building with marshmallows.

Bluff Park Holds Fundraising Drive

Bluff Park Elementary School kicked

off its first fundraising campaign of the year with pep rallies for all students Aug. 24.

Bill Lavenby, Charleston Wrap area representative, came to school and displayed several items that are for sale and some of the prizes available to students who participate in the school’s fundraiser. Bluff Park Elementary’s PTO uses the funds raised to enhance the experience and education of the entire student body as well as provide money for dedicated teachers to use in their classrooms.

Pilot Program Provides Nooks for RRE Students

The Hoover Engaged Learner Initiative has provided Nooks from Barnes and Noble to select third and fifth-grade classes at Rocky Ridge Elementary.

The color tablets provided through this initiative enable students to download books, access educational applications, and search the internet through the school’s Wi-Fi connection.

While four classes are piloting this program, the hope is to add more devices and classes each year. ❖ Crestline Pharmacy

would like to invite all children and their parents to a special

party hosted by: Jingle and Jangle, two of Santa’s

Magic Elves!Learn about how one of Santa’s elves might

visit with you for the Christmas season. Join us on October 6, 2012 at 6:00 pm.

See you there!

To: Crestline PharmacyFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, 205-823-9646 ph., 205-824-1246, fax Date: Sept.2012

This is your aD PrOOF from the Over The MOunTain JOurnal for the Sept. 20, 2012 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.





60 Church Street • 871-0317

To: Allyn HolladayFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Date: Dec 2009

This is your AD prOOF from the Over THe MOunTAin JOurnAl for the December 17, 2009 issue. please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.





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To: Mary Charles RobbinsFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, 205-823-9646 ph., 205-824-1246, fax Date: May 2010

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New, Collectible Antique Dolls

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Homewood High students Ameera Steward, left, and Riordan Wyatt show off their anatomy projects.


Fifth-graders from Cherokee Bend Elementary worked hard on renewable energy projects for the community. Collin Bussman, Betsy Edwards and George Davis were asked to present their energy project to Mountain Brook Mayor Terry Oden. Photo special to the Journal

StudentS Create energy ProjeCtS

Bluff Park Elementary stu-dents ready to help Bill Lavenby with the school’s fundraising drive include, from left: Elise Rose King, Gavin Seewald and Katrina Golden. Photo special to the Journal

INDEPENDENTBOARDING SCHOOL FAIR

MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2012All schools attending offer small college-preparatory classes, high-quality academics,

and excellent arts and athletic programs. Financial aid and scholarships are available.

Meet admission representatives from 22 boarding schools in 11 states.

CO-ED SCHOOLSAsheville School (NC) Baylor School (TN)

Christchurch School (VA) Darlington School (GA)

Indian Springs School (AL) Lake Forest Academy (IL)

Miller School of Albemarle (VA) Perkiomen School (PA)

Rabun Gap School (GA) St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School (TN) St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (TX)

The Bolles School (FL) The Webb School (TN)

BOYS SCHOOLSBlue Ridge School (VA)

Christ School (NC)McCallie School (TN)

GIRLS SCHOOLSOldfields School (MD)

St. Margaret’s School (VA) St. Timothy’s School (MD)

Westover School (CT)

MILITARY SCHOOLSLyman Ward Military Academy (AL)Fork Union Military Academy (VA)

LOCATION: Indian Springs School Library 190 Woodward Drive, Indian Springs, AL 35124For more information, call the ISS Admission Office at 1-888-843-9477or visit www.indiansprings.org/boardingschoolfair.

INDIAN SPRINGSSCHOOL

ISS_BSF_4x5Ad:Layout 1 9/13/12 10:16 AM Page 1

Fifth-graders at Brookwood Forest Elementary School in Mountain Brook learned the importance of teamwork during the Marshmallow Challenge. They are, from left: Lindsay Davis, Nick Blackwell, Alex Black and Ann Inskeep. Photo special to the Journal

Email your school pictures and news to

[email protected].

seemed at low ebb when Coach Jeff Harris resigned following his team’s second consecutive 2-8 record last season. Cris Bell was hired from Marietta, Ga., to salvage the wreckage and turned heads at the summer media day with his frank assessment of the program.

“I don’t know if the house was condemned or not,” said Bell. “But we went ahead and condemned it our-selves.”

The reclamation project must have been successful, because Oak Mountain’s record so far speaks for itself.

Here’s a quick look at last Friday’s results and what it means for the future.

Homewood 27, Briarwood 12. Patriot quarterback Luke Porter showed why he is one of metro Birmingham’s top signal-callers with an impressive showing. Homewood is clearly on the verge of returning to its longtime status as one of Alabama’s Class 5A titans. Briarwood’s 0-3 start is the Lions’ roughest beginning in years, but sophomore quarterback Chandler Watkins’ gallant perfor-mance in defeat against the Patriots gives the Lions hope for the future. Coach Fred Yancey’s team will have a great opportunity for its first win against Shelby County in Columbiana

this week.Vestavia Hills 45, Huffman 20. As

the Rebels turn in yet another domi-nating performance against a good team, people are starting to realize that Vestavia might even be better than its No. 5 rating in Class 6A might indi-cate. But honestly, who is surprised? Since Buddy Anderson took over the Rebel program in 1978, the template has been simple: Run the ball, play good defense and win. Everybody knows what Vestavia is going to do, yet rarely are the Rebels ever stopped. Why should 2012 be any different?

Mountain Brook 35, Gardendale 14. The biggest news at Mountain Brook isn’t the fact that the Spartans rallied from a 14-0 deficit to rout Gardendale last week, although that isn’t a bad story. Even more impres-sive is the Spartans’ 3-0 start despite the return of only four starters from last season’s 12-1 team. With renewed confidence, Mountain Brook could easily be 6-0 before a three-game October stretch against Hewitt-Trussville, Huffman and Vestavia could determine the course of the season. For the moment, however, the Spartans are rolling.

Oak Mountain 10, Stanhope Elmore 7. If the election were held today, the Eagles’ Cris Bell would be a landslide choice for Over the Mountain Coach of the Year. Oak Mountain has already won almost as many games as it did in the previous

two seasons, when it compiled a com-posite record of 4-16. Bell has turned a tough situation around by preaching defense, hard work and perhaps most importantly, a positive attitude. Three games don’t make a season, but the buzz coming from Heardmont Park is real.

Spain Park 37, Chelsea 23. Jaguar quarterback Nick Mullens and his aerial circus put on yet another show in a win over the tougher-than-expect-ed Hornets. Spain Park rallied from a 21-7 deficit on the road by scoring the game’s final 23 points. All of the sudden, the Jags’ Oct. 12 home date against Oak Mountain is looming as a

huge Class 6A Region 4 clash. John Carroll Catholic 23, Talladega

6. Trent Marshall was a classic double threat in the Cavs’ win over the Tigers. He ran 55 yards for a touch-down and booted a 55-yard field goal. After a lopsided loss to Chelsea in the season opener, it looked like it might be a long year for John Carroll. Two consecutive Class 5A Region 4 wins, however, have put the Cavs in the run-ning for a playoff spot.

Hoover 50, Jackson-Olin 0. In some ways, you have to feel for Buccaneer coach Josh Niblett. He keeps pointing out his team’s flaws, but nobody listens to him. Of course,

Niblett is just trying to keep his play-ers’ feet on the ground and prevent them from getting caught up in the hype that surrounds them. The reality is that Hoover looks like an unstop-pable juggernaut which by all rights should be the odds-on favorite for the Class 6A championship. If this wasn’t enough, the Bucs are also play-ing against their own tradition: Some observers think this Hoover team could be the school’s best ever. But longtime rival Vestavia has never been particularly awed by the Bucs, and the pair meet at Thompson Reynolds Stadium Sept. 28.

Stay tuned.

30 • Thursday, September 20, 2012 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAlsports

By Ben Johnson

JOuRNAL INTERN

Love the golf course but have a terrible swing? Have you tried throwing a disc instead?

Disc golf is one of the nation’s fastest grow-ing sports, and enthusiasts in Birmingham hope the new Inverness Disc Golf Course in Hoover will bring in more players to the area.

“It’s a great sport to play because you get a lot of physical activity, and it’s a lot cheaper than real golf,” said Clifford Smith, an avid disc golf player.

Smith is the communications coordinator of Disc Golf of Birmingham, a club responsible for the disc golf courses in the area.

“The club basically does the upkeep of all the disc golf courses while also organizing and promoting different tournaments,” said Smith.

Disc golf is a lot like regular golf, except instead of using a golf club and golf ball, the player uses a disc to play. The player throws the disc at a basket that acts as the “hole.” The number of throws it takes the player to get the disc into the basket is the player’s score -- and like golf, a lower score is better.

Alabama already has a thriving disc golf community. There are three other disc golf courses in the Birmingham area: one at George Ward Park off Greensprings Highway and two in Trussville. However, Smith said the DGB expects the Inverness course to bring a little more prestige to disc golf in Alabama.

“It was our goal to make this park one of the most premiere courses in the state,” said Smith. “We started this project about a year ago. We first went to the city of Hoover to convince them to help us create this park. They agreed and then poured concrete slabs over the park. After the concrete was set, we began putting baskets in and clearing out brush in order to make a path.”

The DGB celebrated the opening of the new park with a tournament for both professionals and amateurs Sept. 8. According to Smith, the park has been officially open since last spring, but the DGB waited to make an official announcement until the course had been broken in.

“We needed to wait and work out the kinks of the park,” said Smith. “We had to make sure that all the pars were fair, that the paths were cut down and that the course was playable. It took a couple of months to work every-thing out, but now we’re ready for people to play.”

Smith said he is really proud of the work the DGB has done on the course, which he thinks is one of the best in the area.

“It’s such a picturesque course,” he said. “There’s lots of trees and a river that even runs through it.”

Smith hopes this new course will help attract more people to the sport.

“Disc golf is a lot of fun,” he said. “The discs cost only about $10-$15, much cheaper than a golf club, and it’s a great way to get exercise and enjoy nature.”

Inverness Disc Golf Park is on Inverness Parkway off u.S. 280. It’s open every day, and there’s no cost to play.

Flinging ItHoover Has New Disc Golf Course

Clifford Smith stands beside a disc golf basket at the new Inverness Disc Golf Course in Hoover. Smith is the com-munications coordinator of Disc Golf of Birmingham, a club responsible for the disc golf courses in the area.

Journal photo by Ben Johnson

CorreCtIon: In a story and photo caption about Mountain Brook’s linebackers in our last issue, we incorrectly listed two players’ names. The Spartans’ linebacker unit that has helped lead the team to a 3-0 start are, from left: Jordan Donald, Drew Herndon, Will Deer, Austin Chapman, Buddy Pell and Aaron Shapiro.

davis,from back cover

By Lee Davis

JOuRNAL SPORTS WRITER

The city of Vestavia Hills broke new ground two years ago when

it introduced its own Sports Hall of Fame, designed to honor athletes, coaches and others who brought rec-ognition to their community through sports.

That original class in 2010 was impressive. It included legendary coaches at Vestavia Hills High School such as Buddy Anderson (football), the late Sammy Dunn (baseball) and Fran Braasch (girls’ basketball); ath-letes who had reached the upper levels of competition such as David Jordan (NFL), Chris Hammond (MLB) and Trey Hardee (Olympics) and others who had distinguished themselves in a variety of fields of competition.

What I liked best about the class, however, was that it was composed of men and women who had actually accomplished something in a field of sports endeavor. There have been far too many similar Halls of Fame that have been overpopulated with folks who got there because of political con-nections or because the right people happened to enjoy their company.

The Class of 2012 was announced last week, and the new members very much follow in that tradition. They include:

Peter Braasch – Longtime Vestavia assistant in football and bas-ketball. He has coached by Anderson’s side since 1978.

Steve Gaydosh – The Rebels’

wrestling coach since 1982, who has led Vestavia to 12 state championships. He also coaches Pizitz Middle School football.

Ryan Halla – Former Rebel pitcher who earned All-American honors at Auburn university. He also played professionally in the Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations.

George Hatchett – The Rebels’ head boys’ basketball coach since 1981. He led the Rebels to state championships in 1992 and 2009, while posting a career record of 535-379. Hatchett was inducted into the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2011.

Beanie Ketcham –Former Rebel who earned varsity letters in base-ball, softball and girls’ basketball. She played minor league baseball for one season and later pitched for the Colorado Silver Bullets, a women’s professional baseball team. She also coached softball at Samford university.

Sam Short – Assistant principal at Vestavia Hills High School for 27 years. He officiated high school foot-ball and basketball for decades. He is a member of the National and Alabama High School Halls of Fame.

Les Stuedeman – Former Rebel who starred in volleyball, basketball and softball and earned All-American honors in softball at Huntingdon College. Stuedeman has coached soft-ball at the university of Alabama at Huntsville since 1995 and is only the 19th coach in NCAA Division II his-tory to win 800 games.

Distinguished citizen Charlie Dickinson – Longtime supporter and volunteer coach for the Rebel program.

The new class will be officially inducted at a banquet Oct. 11 at Vestavia Hills Country Club. For ticket information, call 822-8310.

Hall MonitorsVestavia Adds to Members in Sports Hall of Fame

Thursday, September 20, 2012 • 31 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAl sports

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ond quarter touchdowns to coast to a 27-12 win over the host Lions.

The prime movers for the winning cause were quarterback Luke Porter and running back Justin Hardy. Porter ran and passed for a touchdown, while Hardy rushed for 139 yards and a score.

Homewood was bolstered by the return of center Zac Sims and guard Jordan Sims to the offensive line after they struggled with nagging injuries.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Patriots earned touchdowns on each of their second period possessions. Walter Rutledge’s seven-yard scoring run gave Homewood a 6-0 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half. Leo Santo’s kick raised the margin to 7-0.

On their next opportunity, the Patriots marched 52 yards for a score. Hardy’s five-yard touchdown dash gave the visitors a 14-0 advantage with 3:58 left to play in the half.

Homewood wasn’t finished. With only 49 seconds remaining, Porter found D’vonte Wallace down the sidelines and connected with him for a 71-yard scoring bomb. Santo’s third conversion gave the Patriots an unex-pected 21-0 halftime cushion.

“Anytime you play a program with the tradition of Briarwood, you have to be ready,” Porter said later. “Our coaches did a great job of preparing us. That was the difference.”

Briarwood coach Fred Yancey said the late score hurt his team’s come-back chances. “Homewood’s a great team and can strike anytime,” he said. “They can make you pay.”

The Patriots didn’t slow down in the third quarter. In the first minute, Porter sprinted 57 yards to the end zone to give Homewood an insur-mountable 27-0 margin.

Porter credited his offensive line for much of his success.

“Our guys are unbelievable,” he said.

Briarwood battled back. Daniel Robert’s one-yard scoring plunge with 2:16 left in the third period sliced the margin to 27-6. The Lions had another opportunity after their defense recovered a Patriot fumble. Sophomore quarterback Chandler Wilkins passed nine yards to Sam Morris for a touchdown to bring the score to 27-12 as 1:54 remained in the third period.

Briarwood couldn’t get any closer in the fourth quarter.

“Coach (Doug Goodwin) told us to keep our head in the game and play hard,” said Hardy. “We did that.”

Homewood’s victory overshad-owed a courageous performance by Wilkins, who completed 28 of 49 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown in only his second start.

After losing their opener to Class

6A power Vestavia, the Patriots earned their second consecutive Class 5A Region 4 victory to run their over-all mark to 2-1. Briarwood uncharac-teristically fell to 0-3 overall and 0-2 in region play.

Yancey said his team would bounce back.

“We had some good effort out here tonight that I was pleased with,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out how to put together four good quarters.”

Homewood has even more reasons to be pleased. After the solid road win against the Lions, the Patriots are likely to be favored in each of their remaining seven games. In his sec-ond season, Goodwin may well have Homewood back among the elite in its classification.

Perhaps the best news out of Friday night is that Homewood and Briarwood are at last playing again. And for a year, the Patriots have the bragging rights for the Battle of the Woods.

Week 3 resultshoover 50 Jackson-olin 0

The Bucs shut out the Mustangs in an area game.

Hoover goes on the road to take on the undefeated Jaguars of Northridge Tuscaloosa this week in a key Region 5 contest.

John carroll 23 Talladega 6

The Cavs improved their record to 2-1 with Class 5A Region 4 win.

John Carroll visits Sylacauga Friday.

MounTain Brook 35 gardendale 14

The Spartans stage a comeback to beat the Rockets in Region 6 action after being down by 14 early.

Mountain Brook will host Woodlawn this Friday in Region play.

oak MounTain 10 sTanhope elMore 7

The Eagle defense played inspired football in holding the Mustangs to one score in a Region 4 match up.

Undefeated Oak Mountain visits Pelham Friday. spain park 37 chelsea 23

Spain Park used a balanced

attack generating almost 400 yards in total offense to improve to 2-1 on the season.

The Jaguars travel to Wetumpka this week.

vesTavia 45 huffMan 20

Senior running back Stuart Jacobs had a big night for the Rebels in their Region 6 victory over the Vikings.

Vestavia travels to Gardendale this week.

Patriots,from back cover

Briarwood quarterback Chandler Wilkins tries to get by Homewood defender Trey Davis during Friday night’s game won by the Patriots. Journal photo by Bryan Bunch

the right way. We have to prepare our guys for life when they are 25 and 35 and 45 years old.”

Bell, a graduate of Hampton-Sydney College, was an assistant at Marietta High School in Georgia prior to answering the call from Oak Mountain. Previously, he had suc-cessful runs as a head coach at Strong Rock Christian School in Georgia and James River High School in Virginia. Bell also worked as an assistant coach at Hampton-Sydney and Carson-Newman College.

The amiable father of four said changing the mindset for football was his biggest challenge upon arriving at Oak Mountain. Bell’s frank assess-ment of the program he inherited at the annual high school media day made reporters sit up in their chairs: “We have torn it down and started over. I do not know if the house was condemned or not, but we went ahead and condemned it ourselves.”

Translated, it meant the new coach brought a fresh attitude and approach.

“When a program is losing, the psyche of everyone involved takes a big hit,” said Bell. “After I took the job, people told me that Oak

Mountain was a great place to be, but we’d never win much in football.

“That was hogwash. I didn’t buy that for a second. My previous job as a head coach had been at a start-up program at a private school, and we were successful there.”

Bell said the formula for winning is simple.

“You can’t accept mediocrity and low expectations,” he said. “That’s no way to approach life. We say let’s go out there, work hard all the time and get after it.

“I won’t accept anything less than the best my players have to offer, and they shouldn’t accept anything less from me than my best.”

The first evidence that things were changing at Oak Mountain came in the opener against Shades Valley at Heardmont Park. The Mounties led 7-6 with 15 seconds remaining and needed only to successfully execute a punt from their own 22-yard line to secure a victory.

But a high snap gave junior defen-sive back Chris Johnson the oppor-tunity to block the kick. The impact knocked the ball through the back of the end zone for a safety, giving the Eagles an improbable 8-7 triumph.

“Maybe the biggest thing about the Shades Valley game was that it

showed our kids that what we are preaching pays off,” said Bell. “It gave them something tangible to see. We had been asking a lot of them, and that game showed them the rewards that can come.”

One characteristic of the new look at Oak Mountain is defense. The Eagles have yielded only 28 points in the first three contests. Bell attributes much of that success to the work of new defensive coordinator Rusty Frisch – a longtime fixture in high school in Idaho – who moved south to join the Oak Mountain staff.

“It was a leap of faith for Rusty to pick up and move here from Idaho,” said Bell. “Our kids have really responded to him.”

The Eagles make the short trip to Pelham to face the Panthers in a key region game Friday, but Bell said his team must take a longer view.

“Sure, it’s exciting and fun to be undefeated after three games,” he said. “We can’t lose sight of how we got here. The coaches tell the kids all the time that we have to take it day to day, doing the things you have to do to be successful. If we lose sight of that, it won’t be good.”

Three games don’t make a season, but for the moment Oak Mountain’s Eagles are flying high.

oak mountain,from back cover

Hoover tight end Cooper Carden tries to avoid a Mustang defender in week three action Friday night. Journal photo by Marvin Gentry

Vestavia running back Stuart Jacobs had a big night for the Rebels in their win over Huffman. Journal file photo by Marvin Gentry

By Lee Davis

Journal SportS Writer

a decade ago, there wasn’t a better foot-ball rivalry in Class 5a – or maybe even in alabama – than Homewood versus

Briarwood.the patriots’ annual battle with the lions often

portended which team would seriously compete for a state championship. and it was one of those old-time rivalries where teams and coaches competed intensely on the field and also got along well off the field.

unfortunately, Homewood’s rise to Class 6a ended the storied series in 2007. the new reclas-sification that went into effect this fall brought the patriots back to Class 5a, setting the stage for the renewal of the game affectionately known as the Battle of the Woods.

and while Friday night’s game didn’t quite have a playoff-like atmosphere, Homewood looked much like a team that could have an extended post-season in its future. the patriots exploded for three sec-

Lee Davis

Vestavia announces Hall of Fame class of 2012 P. 30Hoover has new disc golf course P. 30

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAltHurSday, SeptemBer 20, 2012 Sports

Pick a Team, Pick a Story 2012 Football Season Opening with a Bang

When a sportswriter takes a look at the first three weeks of the 2012 high school

football season, it’s easy to feel like the proverbial fly in the meat house: Where do you begin?

Seriously, the writer might need a doctorate in journalism to deter-mine the biggest story in over the mountain football so far. is it oak mountain’s amazing 3-0 start? or Spain park’s stunning upset of defending state champ prattville in the second week?

What about the strong openings for mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills? then of course there’s Hoover, which almost looks like it could contend in the eastern division of the Southeastern Conference and just might have its best team ever.

those aren’t the only page-turning narratives working this season. Homewood, fresh from an impressive win at Briarwood, seems headed back into Class 5a’s penthouse. and John Carroll Catholic, coming off a disap-pointing 2011, already has a pair of wins under its belt.

it’s a tough call, but oak mountain’s undefeated start narrowly takes the prize as the year’s big-gest story so far. the eagle program

See DaviS, page 30

See PatriotS, page 31

game OF tHe week

wooDworkPatriots Rip Lions in Series Renewal

By Lee Davis

Journal SportS Writer

Cris Bell is probably glad that oak mountain High School is in an unincorporated area of

Shelby County.that’s because if the school was in

a city, a lot of people might be asking the eagle football coach to run for mayor.

“i just want to keep coaching at oak mountain,” Bell said.

that’s good news for eagle fans. after three games, Bell’s team has become the talk of metro Birmingham by starting the 2012 season with a 3-0 record.

opening a season with three consecutive victories may not be a big deal at Hoover, Vestavia Hills or mountain Brook. For long-struggling oak mountain, however, the strong beginning means a lot. the eagles posted only four victories – against 16 losses – in the past two seasons combined.

oak mountain’s most recent hero-ics came last Friday night in a narrow 10-7 win over Class 6a region 4 foe Stanhope elmore. the mustangs drove to the eagles’ four-yard line in the final period before Jake Kelley’s interception in the end zone preserved

the victory to keep oak mountain undefeated.

While football fever may be grip-ping the school’s community in a way it hasn’t in years, Bell is taking the new-found success in stride.

“What we have to do is keep things in perspective,” he said, shortly after the victory over the mustangs. “We’ve got to concentrate on doing the little things that put us in a posi-tion to win those close games.”

as fun as winning can be, Bell insists the bigger picture is far more important.

“there are a lot of good coaches that work very hard but aren’t win-ning,” he said. “it’s great to get those wins on the field, but you can’t lose sight of the fact that it must be done

See oak Mountain, page 31

Bell towerNew attitude taking eagles to Heights

week 3 Results page 31

Homewood quarterback Luke Porter picks up yardage as Briarwood Christian linebacker Ethan Simmons closes in. More photos at otmj.com Journal photo by Bryan Bunch

september 20, 2012

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