280 Living April 2015

April 2015 | Volume 8 | Issue 8

n e i g h b o r l y n e w s & e n t e r t a i n m e n t

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INSIDE

By DAVID KNOX

Zachary El-Fallah always liked being “air-borne and fl ipping,” he said.

Tumbling, trampolining, gymnastics, you name it.

But he’d never considered diving until he watched the Olympic Games.

“I just didn’t have the upper body strength for gymnastics,” El-Fallah said. “So after watch-ing the diving on the Olympics, we [he and his mother, Michelle] went to the Greystone YMCA, but they didn’t have any diving boards. They told us about the Hoover Recreation Center and the Hoover dive team.”

El-Fallah fi gured diving into water was just like the dives he took into the foam pit in tum-bling or gymnastics.

It was a rude awakening. “It hurts more when you smack into the water,” he said.

That was a little more than three years ago. In December, El-Fallah — an eighth-grader at Berry Middle School — posted a second-place fi nish in the Alabama High School Athletic Asso-ciation championships in Auburn, competing for Spain Park High School. That runner-up fi nish came on the heels of a 14th-place fi nish a year ago and is all the more remarkable because the

14-year-old was recovering from a stress fracture that limited his practice.

“I’m extremely proud of him,” said his mother. “To go from 14th last year to second, especially for the amount of practice he got. The doctor really didn’t want him to dive. He didn’t do anything for 10 weeks. He only got four prac-tices in before the meet.”

His coach at Spain Park is Sally Mathias. But in the world of Alabama high school swimming and diving, for the most part, the athletes do their training with a club that works year-round. The Hoover Dive Club coach is Charlie Dunham.

“The big thing about Zachary is he matured a lot over the last year,” Dunham said. “To be a really good diver, you have to increase the degree of diffi culty in your dives. Over the past year, he really worked hard and learned a bunch of more diffi cult dives. In every single type of dive, he added at least a half a somersault. Last year he learned what he had to do to get to the next level.”

El-Fallah puts it more bluntly.“I had a mental block,” he said. “I was a cry-

baby. I didn’t have the confi dence to stay and practice.”

Arc of a

diverEighth-grader climbs ladder of top state divers for Spain Park

Zachary El-FallahPhotos by Keith McCoy.

Arc of a

n e i g h b o r l y n e w s & e n t e r t a i n m e n tLiving

Arc of a Arc of a

diverArc of a

By DAVID KNOX

Zachary El-Fallah always liked being “air-borne and fl ipping,” he said.

Tumbling, trampolining, gymnastics, you name it.

But he’d never considered diving until he watched the Olympic Games.

“I just didn’t have the upper body strength for gymnastics,” El-Fallah said. “So after watch-ing the diving on the Olympics, we [he and his

Eighth-grader climbs ladder of Eighth-grader climbs ladder of top state divers for Spain Park

diverEighth-grader climbs ladder of

Arc of a

diver

See DIVER | page A31

Find tips for your home this spring from area business owners in our guide to all things home and garden.

See page C1

See page A16

Award winner

Home Guide

Learn who you voted as this year’s Community Member of the Year and how she is making a difference in the lives of those around her.

280 LivingA2 • April 2015

280Living.com April 2015 • A3

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When the blustery cold turned to perfect-day sun-shine, my schedule also went into spring mode. All of a sudden, the quiet nights and slow weekends gave way to going and doing until late at night (amen to light after 5 p.m.!) and Saturdays and Sundays packed full of events. Good-bye sleet-day movie marathon season and hello get-outside-and-live-life season.

To assist you in all this spring schedule plan-ning, we have put together a play-by-play of the what, when and where for April events in this issue. Put some on the calendar, but make sure you save some space to go play at Oak Mountain State Park or Veterans Park with your family too.

Part of my spring craze was due to how much this paper has been growing recently. We

added our first C section in March, and this month we have reached a record-breaking 80 pages. There is much to celebrate and savor about our area and its people in all three of them, so take the challenge of making it to the end. We are grateful for the community support that allows us to say that on the 280 corridor print jour-nalism is indeed growing and thriving (and online journalism too — make sure you are subscribed to our daily newsletter on the 280living.com homepage).

As always, please reach out with any feedback or story ideas you have. You can reach us at [email protected].

Happy spring!

Meet our new staff membersDon HarrisMarketing ConsultantDon Harris, a graduate of LSU, has been in the news-paper advertising business since 1981, working in sales and management at Shreveport Times, The Town Talk and most recently 14 years at The Birmingham News-Al-abama Media Group. His specialty is working with small to medium businesses and tailoring creative and ad tar-geting to give them the most for their advertising dollars.

Roy L. Williams, Community Reporter Roy L. Williams spent nearly 23 years as a reporter for The Birmingham News covering personal finance, business, tourism and Birmingham City Hall. Since 2013, he has been the host of Biz Talk With Roy Williams on WAGG Heaven 610 AM, and he is the author of 911, God Help Us: A Journalist’s Tale of Faith, a memoir about his faith walk after his oldest brother was killed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.

Editor’s Note By Madoline Markham

Legals: 280 Living is published monthly. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. 280 Living is designed to inform the 280 community of area school, family and community events. Information in 280 Living is gathered from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of 280 Living. We reserve the right to edit articles/photos as deemed necessary and are under no obligation to publish or return photos submitted. Inaccuracies or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 313-1780 or by email.

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Greater Shelby Chamber hosts legislative preview

By JESSA PEASE

The Alabama State Legislature recently reconvened March 3, but first the Greater Shelby County Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Work Group hosted a Legislative Preview at Jef-ferson State Community College.

Eight members of the local Shelby County state legislative delegation were there to share their perspectives on the issues the state Senate and House of Representatives are debating during the 2015 legislative session in Montgomery.

“It relates back to providing an opportunity for elected officials and the business community to come together and engage in conversation, listen and discuss the issues with each other,” said Kirk Mancer, chamber director.

Representatives Arnold Mooney, April Weaver, Matt Fridy, Mike Hill and Jim Carns and senators Slade Blackwell, Jabo Waggoner and Cam Ward were in attendance.

One topic they discussed was a six-bill package that will soon be introduced by the Department of Commerce and the governor. The package will attempt to reform the way that the state provides incentives through businesses, and the chamber asked the delegates if this would make

Alabama more competitive. “As just a broad statement, they all

seemed in favor of taking a look at ways to keep Alabama competitive in the pursuit of new industry and helping industry expand,” Mancer said. “The bottom line is, [I] think it could be more efficient and provide more transparency when it comes to

dealing with the incentives for incom-ing companies, and then maintain the much-needed competitive edge when it does come to improvement.”

Other questions asked at the preview related to the general budget, raising taxes, Medicaid and the Alabama Prison Reform Taskforce. Mancer said they made sure to discuss the prison

issue from a business perspective. “I think everyone pretty much real-

izes that increasing prison population is an issue, but then some of the con-versations included decreasing penal-ties on non-violent criminals,” Mancer said. “In actuality, businesses are often the victim of non-violent crimes such as theft and vandalism.”

To continue its involvement with local government, the Greater Shelby Chamber will host an Eggs and Issues breakfast March 31, where U.S. Con-gressman Gary Palmer will give an update on political issues in Wash-ington, D.C.

For more information, visit shelby-chamber.org.

Representatives Arnold Mooney, April Weaver, Matt Fridy, Mike Hill and Jim Carns and senators Slade Blackwell, Jabo Waggoner and Cam Ward discussed legisltative issues with the Greater Shelby Chamber. Photo courtesy of Lisa Shapiro.

280 News280 LivingA6 • April 2015

Five Below to open in Brook Highland

A new retail store aimed toward the teen and pre-teen market is coming to Brook High-land, and everything in the store is between $1 and $5.

The leasing agent for Brook Highland Plaza, DDR Corp., has listed Five Below as a new client, moving into the same strip as the newly open Sprouts Farmers Market. No

opening date has been set yet for the store, which will take over Unit 110.

Five Below carries everything from sport-ing goods, games, fashion accessories and jewelry to room décor, DVDs and iPhone accessories. The chain was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pa.

Five Below will take over Unit 110 at Brook Highland Plaza.

By ROY L. WILLIAMS

For Brent Fielder, opening the new Chick-fil-A Greystone on U.S. 280 adjacent to Alabama 119 last month was a natural decision.

Fielder is a 2008 graduate of Samford University, where he obtained a degree in business management. He and his wife, Angela, live less than two miles from the store. And his wife happens to be the granddaughter of Chick-fil-A’s founder, the late Truett Cathy.

“I fell in love with Birmingham while attending Samford so it feels great to be back here again,” said Fielder, who moved here from Atlanta last July.

Although another operator has a Chick-fil-A on U.S 280 about two-and-a-half miles closer to Birmingham from Fielder’s restaurant, he said the corporate office had been seeking a location closer to the Greystone community. Fielder, who has worked for Chick-fil-A about 12 years, jumped at the chance.

“Chick-fil-A buys the land and builds the building, then partners with us operators to run it,” Fielder said.

Chick-fil-A is known for its policy of

closing on Sundays so that associates can spend time with their families and attend church. The restaurant is also active in supporting the surrounding communities, Fielder said.

“My wife and I live a mile-and-a-half up the road and are heavily invested in this community,” Fielder said. “We look forward to continuing Truett Cathy’s legacy of serving good food, and supporting our employees and the community.”

Fielder said he was impressed with the fact 150 camped outside the Chick-fil-A Greystone at 5375 Highway 280, some for days as is a tradition at openings across the country in an effort to get free food coupons. The first 100 in line when the Chick-fil-A opened its doors for the first time received 52 Chick-fil-A sandwich combo coupons, enough for one a week for an entire year. That’s worth a combined $32,000 in food give-aways, he said.

Samford grad returns to open 119 Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A Greystone held a ribbon cutting ceremony March 12. Photo by Roy L. Williams

Go online for more.


Hoover BOE to interview five superintendent finalists at April meeting

By ROY L. WILLIAMS

The Hoover Board of Education on April 14 will host a special meeting at Spain Park High School in which the panel will for the first time get to meet the five finalists for its superintendent vacancy, During the March meeting, Board President Donna Frazier said the search by the Alabama Association of

School Boards on behalf of the board is going well as it seeks a replacement for previous superintendent Andy Craig. “We continue to receive inquiries from interested candidates,” she said.

Information on finalists will be posted after their names are released on the Hoover Board of Education website, hoovercityschools.net.

By ROY L. WILLIAMS

A long-sought new Shelby County Sheriff’s substation designed to serve residents of the U.S. 280 area could open by mid-June.

The new location at Suite 117 in Greystone Center on U.S. 280 will provide major relief for residents desiring to avoid the long drive to Columbiana to get pistol permits, accident reports and crime incident reports, said Shelby County Sheriff’s Maj. Ken Burchfield. Those services

aren’t currently available in the Sher-iff’s Office substation currently at Heardmont Park on Cahaba Valley Road.

The Shelby County Commission in March approved the new loca-tion, which is on U.S. 280 between Doug Baker Boulevard and Eagle Point. Contractors plan to convert the current 1,500-square-foot build-ing into the substation.

“We’ve been looking for a location on the 280 corridor for some time, so we’re real pleased,” Burchfield said.

He added that the architect should complete drawings for the interior design done by early April. It will take another two months to finish renovating the current building into a police substation. Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego called the sheriff’s substation “a true partner-ship between the sheriff’s office and Shelby County citizens to better serve our citizens.”

Burchfield said the Heardmont Park location near Pelham has been sufficient, but with so many Shelby

County residents moving to the 280 corridor, the county needed a substa-tion in that area. The plan approved by the Shelby County commission allows the sheriff’s office to finalize an agreement with landlord Kessler Greystone LLC.

Burchfield said the 280 substation will fill three pivotal needs: 1. Providing a full-time clerk to issue

concealed carry permits, inci-dent/offense reports and accident reports.

2. Allowing Shelby deputies a place

to meet with citizens of the 280 corridor.

3. Providing office space for senior staff members to operate out of as needed and give the sheriff a place to meet with people who don’t want to drive all the way to Columbiana.“The Heardmont Park location

served us well,” he said. “While we appreciated that space, we look for-ward to soon better serving Shelby County residents living along U.S. 280.”

New Shelby County Sheriff’s substation on 280 to open by mid-June

A new Shelby County Sheriff’s substation will be located in Greystone Center off U.S. 280. Photo by Keith McCoy.


Public meeting focuses on

Highway 41 safetyBy SYDNEY CROMWELL

About 40 people braved a frosty evening on Feb. 19 to gather at Mt Laurel Elemen-tary for a meeting on safety concerns along the Highway 41 corridor. Shelby County Commission Chairman Rick Shepherd, Emergency Management Supervisor Hub Harvey, Chief Development Officer Chad Scroggins, Sheriff John Samaniego and Bat-talion Chief John Yancey of Cahaba Valley Fire and Rescue joined them.

The meeting covered a wide range of topics related to Highway 41, also known as Dunnavant Valley Road. Harvey said the conversation ranged from emergency situa-tions to recent burglaries and speeding.

“It was a very good open, back-and-forth discussion with questions from the commu-nity,” Harvey said.

Harvey said Sheriff John Samaniego plans to increase patrols along the corridor in response to residents’ concerns.

Yancey spoke about the fire and emer-gency response services that Cahaba Valley Fire provides. He noted that a fifth station is planned for the area around Dunnavant Valley Road and Shoal Creek. The station, scheduled for completion by the end of 2015, will serve Shoal Creek, Holly Brook, Smyers Lake, Stone Gate Farms, The Shires and other area neighborhoods. Yancey said the new station will add manpower and decrease response times for Dunnavant residents.

The emergency management agency also passed out flyers from FEMA about disaster preparedness and talked about smartphone apps for severe weather alerts.

The meeting was a chance for Harvey to gather resident feedback as part of his office’s update to their Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan must be updated every five years, and the new version will be finished by August. Harvey said he will be survey-ing residents from every part of the county as part of the plan’s update. Those public meetings have not yet been set.

“We like opportunities to get out and dialog with the public,” Harvey said.

Sheriff John Samaniego said he plans to increase patrols along the U.S. 280 corridor in response to resident concerns.

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Chelsea attracts businesses looking to attract businessesBy OLIVER MORRISON

The city of Chelsea is looking to attract new businesses and increase local tax revenue.

The Birmingham-based firm Retail Strate-gies claimed that it could help Chelsea attract more retailers along the 280 corridor at a city council meeting on March 18.

The company would identify which require residents to leave the city to purchase and then recruit companies that sell those product to move into the city. That way more money would be kept locally.

The company claims to have more than 100 cities signed up for this program and already has a record of attracting businesses such as Home Depot and Piggly Wiggly. The pro-posed contract would cost the city $80,000 over three years.

If the city attracts a large enough business, Chelsea could pay Retail Strategies with tax revenue generated by the new businesses, according to Mayor Earl Niven. Niven said he hopes the council will be ready to make a decision by the next meeting.

After the meeting several competing firms

contacted the City Council, vying to provide the same services.

“They’re wanting us too,” said Becky Landers, the city clerk in Chelsea. “We’re being pursued.”

When 280 Living went to press, other con-sultancies had yet to make competing offers, but Wade Robinett, executive vide president of Retail Strategies, said that while other com-panies might be able to do the same research at a lower price, his company goes the extra mile to contact retailers.

That way local landowners would have two companies working to fill their vacancies: a real estate brokers as well as Retail Strategies.

“It’s not a dig on the local brokers at all,” Robinett said. “The local brokers have a lot going on, and there may be retailers that they haven’t contacted that we have. We’re out-siders looking in and we might see different opportunities.”

“No decision has been made about what we’re going to do,” Landers said. “It was just a presentation. Nothing has been decided until we sign a contract.”

Hoover receives school board applicants

The Hoover Board of Education received its first two applications for a pending vacancy on the Hoover Board of Education March 19.

The two applicants are Hoover residents Curtis Posey and Jill Ganus Veitch.

The opening is for the seat currently held by Hoover Board of Education President Donna Frazier, who is stepping down effective June 1. Hoover City Council plans to start reviewing

school board applications by the first week of April.

City Clerk Margie Handley said Hoover Board of Education applications can be down-loaded off hooveralabama.org. Completed applications must be submitted to the city clerk’s office in person with an individual photo ID, she said. The application deadline for the position is March 26.

By SYDNEY CROMWELL

The 18-hole golf course and clubhouse of Altadena Valley Country Club may be replaced by athletic fi elds and picnic tables. The city of Vestavia Hills is in negotiations with the coun-try club’s landowners to turn part of the 90-acre property into a new recreational facility.

City Manager Jeff Downes said that responses

to the 2014 citizen survey prompted the quest to build a new park. Only 45 percent of residents reported satisfaction with the number of walking and biking trails, 50 percent were satisfi ed with community recreational centers and 62 percent were satisfi ed with the number of parks in the city overall. These amenities also topped the list of issues that residents wanted the parks and rec-reation department to emphasize.

“We have some great, great programs, but there’s a community demand for even better,” Downes said.

In addition to stated citizen interest, Downes said city leaders have seen an increase in demand for athletic playing fi elds. There are multiple football, baseball and softball leagues playing in the city, as well as lacrosse and soccer teams competing for space. This demand is expected to

increase, as an additional 1,000 to 1,500 children are expected to call Vestavia Hills home over the next 10 to 15 years.

“It boils down to capacity. We have a robust recreational program and a citizenry that really wants to play ball in many different fashions,” Downes said.

These concerns were already in mind for Downes and Mayor Butch Zaragoza when Keith

Park possibilities

Members play golf at Altadena Country Club. The club will soon close, and Vestavia Hills is planning to create a park on part of the property. Photo by Sydney Cromwell.

Altadena Country Club property could become a new Vestavia park


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Development Company approached them in December with an idea. David Keith, the owner of the company, said he has been working with the country club’s landowners on a deal to build a neighborhood of around 60 single-family homes on 30 acres of the club property. Keith had already heard that the city needed more area for parks, so to him it made “the most sense” to donate or transfer the remaining land to the city.

“There’s a philosophy that we’re embracing as a city that I refer to as public-private partner-ships,” Downes said. “It’s easier to accomplish things with partners than by yourself.”

The deal, Downes emphasized, is far from a certainty.

However, as it stands now, the city would acquire around 64 acres of land bordering the

Cahaba River and Acton Road. There are no design plans yet, but athletic fi elds would be a defi nite addition and Zaragoza said walking trails and picnic areas around the club’s pond are likely. Downes said the walking trails could eventually connect to trails at nearby Patchwork Farms.

The park’s location on Acton Road, Downes said, will make it very accessible to residents in southern and eastern Vestavia Hills. The city has also been discussing the potential project with the school system to maximize opportunities for students.

“I think this is the bright spot that we see coming into Vestavia Hills,” Zaragoza said.

There are several steps standing between Vestavia Hills and its new park. The country club

is currently located in unincorporated Jefferson County, so the city will have to annex the prop-erty and rezone it before moving forward. Keith said the annexation paperwork was submitted to the city of Vestavia Hills for review on March 11.

“I think the city has a lot of big plans for that area,” Keith said. “The donation really fi t one of their needs.”

Downes expects the deal with Keith Devel-opment to be concluded by late April, followed by 90 to 120 days of planning. He wants to have a design put together for public viewing over the summer, and construction on park facilities could begin in the fall of this year or early 2016.

Based on previous park projects, Downes estimated that the city would spend around $2.5 million on creating the park.

This map shows in pink the current Altadena Country Club property that could become a new park.


Jeff Copeland, general manager of the Alta-dena Valley Country Club, said this is a sad time for the club’s employees and members. There are around 20 full-time employees and 285 mem-bers, with even more during the summer months to swim at the pool. Right now, employees are beginning the job search, and Copeland said he is working to fi nd new clubs for the members.

“Of course we’re not reacting well to it. It’s very sad,” Copeland said.

The club has received approval to remain open until the end of June, but Copeland isn’t sure if this will be possible. As employees and members leave, there will not be the revenue or the man-power to keep the club running.

“We hope to stay open through the end of May,” Copeland said.

Panorama Drive resident Greg Gilbert has been a member of Altadena Valley for more than 40 years. He golfs there twice a week and said he enjoys the club’s “melting pot” of members, the convenience and the short but diffi cult course. Gilbert said he is fi ne with the idea of a new park and will visit it once the project is complete. He’s currently looking for a new club to join, but he knows many members, especially older ones, will begin playing at public courses.

“One thing that hurts small clubs like this in the last 10 or 12 years in Birmingham [is] they’ve built some great public golf courses, and a lot of people can’t justify the cost of monthly fees,” Gilbert said.

Creating a park at Altadena Valley comes with a number of concerns, including the environmen-tal impact on the Cahaba River and noise, light and traffi c impact on nearby residents. Downes said there will be multiple public hearings through the annexation, zoning and planning process to consider these issues and incorporate solutions into the fi nal plan.

“This is not a foregone conclusion,” Downes said. “There will be plenty of time for commu-nity conversation [and] stakeholder input as this thing moves forward. It is the city’s intent [for] everybody — whether you’re a resident, a base-ball player, a lacrosse player, just somebody who loves Vestavia Hills or that particular region — to walk away very proud of what comes from that.”

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280 Business Happenings


1, Chelsea, was named one of Farmers Insurance’s top specialty agencies, fi nishing #1 in their district, #2 in Alabama, #2 in their territory (including Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia and Ohio) and #16 in the United States. Specialty products include boats, RVs, vacant homes, rental homes, ATVs and more.678-4711, farmersagent.com/sweygand

Hirings and Promotions

Caldwell Mill Animal Clinic has hired Dr. Jennifer W. Ham. Ham has joined

the clinic after 12 years as a small animal veterinarian. The clinic is located at 5196 Caldwell Mill Road. 991-7986, cmacvet.com

Bridgeworth, LLC, 3800 Colonnade Parkway, Suite 300, has hired Samuel

Fitch as a fi nancial adviser. Fitch comes to Bridgeworth with more than 25 years of experience in the local fi nancial industry.208-8700, bridgeworthfi nancial.com

Bruno Event Team, 100 Grandview Place, Suite 110, has promoted Sean

Sovacool to the position of president of its golf division and Doug Habgood to the position of executive vice president of its golf division. The organization manages several golfi ng events on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Web.com Tour and Champions Tour, including the Regions Tradition in Birmingham.967-4745, brunoeventteam.com

Businesses with this symbol beside them are not indicated on the map.

Now OpenTracy Jacobs, MD, has opened a medical practice at 201 Doug Baker

Blvd., in the location formerly occupied by MedSouth Urgent Care. Dr. Jacobs most recently practiced at Trinity Medical Center’s clinic in Chelsea.

Johnny Ray’s BBQ has reopened in the Colonnade, 3431 Colonnade

Parkway, Suite 500, under the ownership of Tony Hall. Hall is the owner of the Johnny Ray’s in Pelham on Pelham Parkway.968-8002, johnnyraysbbq.com

MVP Training, 5406 U.S. 280 East, Suite D-106, is now open at the

Crossroads at Greystone shopping center at the intersection of Highways 119 and 280. The facility offers strength training and conditioning for a variety of ages.538-2687, mvptraining.net

WealthSpan Financial Group is now open at 2 Perimeter Park South,

Suite 405E. This is the Atlanta-based fi rm’s fi rst offi ce in Birmingham. WealthSpan is an independent insurance, investment and fi nancial services fi rm. Andy Allen is the managing director for the offi ce.582-7440, wealthspanfi nancial.com

Coming SoonA thai and sushi restaurant has signed a lease for 16712 Highway 280,

Suite B.

Five Below, a national discount retail chain, has signed a lease to open a new

store at 5291 Highway 280, Suite 110, in the Brook Highland Plaza.fi vebelow.com

Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille will be opening in the former TGI Friday’s

location at 4 Perimeter Park South. No timeline has been announced for its opening. The high-end chain has more than 10 locations over several states, including Texas, Colorado and Illinois.perryssteakhouse.com

Relocations and Renovations

Greystone Golf & Country Club has opened their new Golf Operations

Center at 4100 Greystone Drive. The 9,500-square-foot facility was constructed as the club prepares to host the Champions Tour’s Regions Tradition tournament in 2016-18.980-5200, greystonecc.com

Greystone Golf & Country Club has opened their new state-of-the-art Golf

Performance Center at 330 Legacy Way. The center is the home of Blackburn Golf; Mark Blackburn is one of the top 100 Teachers in America. The building will have HD live streaming video, 3D motion capture and a golf gym.980-5200, greystonecc.com

New OwnershipGroomingdales has changed its name to Knotty Dog Pet Salon and S’paw,

10699 Old Highway 280, Building 5, Suite 7, Chelsea. The business is owned by Sarah and Jonathan Cordes.678-8779, knottydog-alabama.com

News and Accomplishments

Scott Weygand’s Farmers Insurance agency, 398 Chesser Drive, Suite

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Business news

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Business

Sanitizit offers new way to eliminate germs

By JESSA PEASE

Have you ever grabbed a shopping cart and wondered how many other people used it before you? How about what the grocery cart has carried?

Although most grocery stores pro-vide wipes for customers to sanitize cart handles, Brook Highland resident Hugh Lee didn’t think it was enough, especially knowing the carts are used to transport spoiled meat and garbage from the stores.

“I said, ‘There’s got to be a better way to do this than having the custom-ers coming in and cleaning their own carts,’” Lee said.

So back in 2011, Lee began to research alternatives to the wipes to sanitize the carts more effectively and efficiently. Through a long journey of development and refinement, he pro-duced a mechanism to sanitize not only shopping carts but also wheel-chairs in hospitals.

“[They are] two of the most dirty things in the entire world,” Lee said. “If you go look at anything or go Google anything, these are going to be somewhere in your top five dirtiest [things in] public places.”

Lee said that while hospitals, nurs-ing homes and grocery stores have protocols on how to sanitize the carts

and wheelchairs, he doesn’t believe there is consistency in how it is exe-cuted. The machine he has created makes cleaning as easy as pushing a button and running the object through an opening.

The machine is a square arch just

big enough to run a shopping cart through, and it’s portable. It’s made of fiberglass and hooks up with a 36-hour battery. Companies can run anything through it, and the machine will spray a fine mist from a solution of the com-pany’s choosing over it.

“We want to be part of their throughput,” Lee said. “I don’t want to change up the way people are doing things today. I want to make it that if you want it outside by the cart corral, that’s fine.”

Lee’s company, Sanitizit, has

already partnered with Western Super-markets and a couple of Piggly Wiggly stores to get the product going, and he is in the process of working with some other high-quality grocery stores.

“I think it would have a tremendous impact on the [retailers] because it is, once again, doing one more thing to show that they care for the customer,” Lee said. “It’s not a secret that gro-cery carts are dirty. It’s not a secret that wheelchairs are dirty. Hospitals and grocery stores can take that step to say, ‘Hey we’re going to actually do something about that.’ I think it would mean a lot to customers.”

In response to questions such as, “What about the checkout lines?” and “What about the waiting rooms in hos-pitals?” Sanitizit has also developed a backpack. It uses the same concept as the machine and will spray a fine mist for two hours nonstop. This product is relatively new, and it can be used to clean virtually anything.

“Every new business, every new idea and every new invention takes a lot of time to get off the ground,” Lee said. “It’s just really trying to find that first mover. That’s really the big piece — that first chain that’s really going to take hold and be innovative.”

Hugh Lee’s wife, Jaime, demonstrates the “Grab. Push. Shop.” process of the Sanitizit machine. Photo by Jessa Pease.


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120 Doug Baker Blvd. 995-0588

Monday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Read all the past Restaurant Showcases at 280Living.comRestaurant Showcase

Mt. Fuji By JESSA PEASE

Six years of photographs illustrate the family atmosphere at Mt. Fuji.

The children whose faces adorn the wall are getting older, but they are still frequent visitors of the Japanese sushi restaurant and hibachi steakhouse.

“They never say goodbye to us, they just keep coming back,” said Qiao Lin, whose sister and brother-in-law own the restaurant.

Lin said the restaurant has been a family affair from the beginning. The Lins would get together as a family and cook. They knew they had good food, and they wanted more than anything to bring families together to experience their unique flavors.

“Every [Japanese] restaurant has sim-ilar things, like the Yum-Yum Sauce and the Ginger Dressing,” Lin said. “We fig-ured out how to make it thick, smooth and tasty to keep people coming.”

Mt. Fuji offers Japanese-style sea-food and steak, made-to-order sushi, fried rice and, the most popular spe-cialty, hibachi. There are six grills for chefs to cook any kind of meat cus-tomers request.

“When you taste it, you can tell the difference,” Lin said. “That’s what keeps people coming around. They’re

crazy about the rice and the sauce.”Lin remembers a young girl who

came into the restaurant with her mother. She was about 5 or 6 years old and had impaired vision, but as

soon as she touched the fried rice, she knew what she was eating.

“Ah, this is the rice, the fried rice, and this is the sauce,” she said. “I just love it. It’s just really good.”

“I heard it from the side, and I was like, ‘That’s what we are here for,’” Lin said. “We bring them food. It’s really simple, but when you feel that, it’s really great.”

Owning the restaurant and working together as a family also allows the Lins to control the quality of the food. They ensure that every fish is of the best quality before turning it into one of Mt. Fuji’s specialty sushi rolls.

Some of the more popular rolls are the Foxy Lady and the football-in-spired Roll Tide Roll and Tiger Roll. They experiment with different com-binations, and Lin said they enjoy bringing different cultures together in their food. Rolls are usually on special once or twice a week.

Business has always been stable by word-of-mouth recommendations, and the Lin family tries to make people feel special.

People often come in to celebrate birthdays with Mt. Fuji’s compli-mentary fried ice cream, birthday singing and the disco ball they turn on for the occasion. They even stay open on Christmas and are usually packed with people who have made Mt. Fuji a holiday tradition.

“It’s kind of special,” Lin said. “People come here to gather together with families, mostly. Most of our customers are families, and it’s family style.”

Mt. Fuji features six hibachi grills. Photo by Jessa Pease.


By MADISON MILLER

Katie Stubblefield stepped carefully around the lake waiting for a sign of acceptance. After months at the Alabama Wildlife Center, she was finally able to release a Muscovy duck that was brought into the center with a hook in its mouth. The bird found its family, and Stubblefield was at peace knowing it was back where it belonged.

Still, her journey was not over. As she began her walk away from her healed patient, she discovered a baby mallard injured in a drain. Stubblefield knew her duty to the wild had started over again.

“From the standpoint of us being the person to find it and then just going through the whole process, it was just amazing,” Stubblefield said.

Stubblefield started working at the

Alabama Wildlife Center in 2003 as a vol-unteer. She had always been interested in birds and working with other people through volunteering and community involvements. Although she was still in graduate school at The University of Alabama, she made trips on weekends to help out at the center and fell in love with helping birds and other wildlife heal.

After school, she was added as a full time employee and now enjoys her role as a healer, educator and advocate for the care of birds and other wild animals. Each year, she directs the care of almost 2,000 patients. Stubblefield also supervises and directs all medical care, housing and feed-ing to each Alabama Wildlife Center patient from intake through their rehabilitation to their release back into the wild.

Although the passion of those at the center drives them, challenges often arise

in funding. As a nonprofit organization, the center must work with a limited staff and budget. Community volunteers are often essential to complete the work needed for the birds and other wildlife. Stubblefield said that since her time starting as a vol-unteer, she has seen the importance and generosity of the community throughout her work.

“Without the community, I don’t think we’d do what we do,” Stubblefield said.

In the upcoming spring and summer months, the center will house 100-200 baby song birds in its facility. During this time of year, volunteering becomes even more important. Staff alone will not be enough to give the birds the care that they need.

That is where Stubblefield’s passion for wildlife education steps in. For years, she and the rest of the staff at the center have been committed to outreach programs.

Several birds who could not be released due to injuries serve as wildlife ambassadors for the center. Through speaking at schools, clubs and more, the center gains volunteers and educates the public on the importance of preserving birds and other wildlife.

Stubblefield encourages community members to fall in love with the care of wildlife the same way that she did — by volunteering. Getting to know the animals and helping them to return to the wild is a rewarding feeling, she said.

Stubblefield is humbled by the commu-nity’s choice of her as the 2015 Community Member of the Year.

“I’m glad that they’re thinking of us,” she said. “I’m more than grateful. Not just for me, but for the center.”

To learn more about the Alabama Wild-life Center, visit awrc.org.

Win

ner

Runner Up

C O M M U N I T Y

MEMBEROF THE YEAR

C O M M U N I T Y

CAUSEOF THE YEAR

Katie StubblefieldCaring for healing birds and wildlife

By MADISON MILLER

When Keith Richards was approached by Cindy Vincent at Vincent Middle High School with a project, he knew he could help to make it happen. Vincent, the special education coach and director of the school, wanted to further her students’ opportunities with a business ven-ture. The students would learn to grow herbs at school and then create a business selling the herbs to Taziki’s to use in its restaurants.

Richards and the school took the opportunity from the idea to create HOPE, Herbs Offering

Personal Enrichment. He hopes to reach out to more schools to create programs like the one at Vincent. Several students who originally started working during high school have since graduated and have become paid employees for Taziki’s.

“My goal is to not be too much of a role model but to help nourish kids for life,” Rich-ards said. “I’m fortunate to have four healthy children. Some kids don’t have that. It’s up to us to help.”

Richards said that HOPE, like many projects in his life, is a reflection of his belief in God

and in doing the right thing. Although much of society can seem like it is headed in the wrong direction, he said, Richards knows that it is his job and other community members’ to give back as often as they receive.

“We do it because it’s the right thing to do and we want to give back,” he said.

Richards is humbled and appreciative to be recognized in the 2015 Community Awards.

“It’s another motivational tool to find ways to help, he said.

For more information on HOPE, visit tazikiscafe.com/hope.

Keith RichardsOwner of Taziki’s and Founder of HOPE



By MADISON MILLER

When Sara Shirley started at Shelby County Humane Society 12 years ago, it was known as the dog pound. At the time, it took in 8,000 pets annually, and there were days that Shirley spent six hours deciding which pets would live and which would die. There was simply not enough space to give shelter to all of the pets.

Today, the humane society is a different place, Shirley said. In 2014, the society took in 4,597 animals. Although she admits that there is more work to be done, she cannot deny the fact that the society has made a drastic impact.

“To see that difference,” Shirley

said. “Wow. The community support is unbelievable.”

Shirley credits the organization’s success to its use of spay and neuter programs in Shelby County. Since the program started in 2008, there has been a significant drop in the number of animals brought in both to receive treatments and vaccines as well as to be dropped off for shelter.

“It’s a direct correlation,” Shirley said. The humane society still faces chal-

lenges within the community. Shirley said that some people come in with reports of animal abuse and there is often little the society can offer to a scenario. The soci-ety assists law enforcement when abuse is reported, but it cannot help before

authorities are called in first. “That’s a challenge because we want to

help, but we can’t.” Shirley said.The society is also still faced with the

difficult task of having to euthanize ani-mals. Although it has not had to euthanize for space in many years, some are still humanely euthanized due to behavioral problems.

“People come in with family pets and ask us to promise to not euthanize, but we have to do what is best for the community,” Shirley said.

Despite the challenges, Shirley and the rest of the society are amazed by the prog-ress that has been made in Shelby County over the last several years. It now knows

that the answer to eliminating the need for euthanization is spay and neuter programs and education throughout the community. Shirley said that often families bring in pets for shelter that could have stayed with their families with a little more education and help. The society’s goal is to save every pet possible.

The Shelby County Humane Society is appreciative of the community’s support through the Community Cause of the Year award.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Shirley said. “It’s amazing to me that [the community] believes in what we’re doing.”

By MADISON MILLER

Doug Adair knows that his job directly affects lives in the community every day. At the Alabama Wildlife Center, he and his staff not only have a passion for wildlife rehabil-itation, but also for raising awareness of the environment and wildlife.

“There’s just something about an up close and personal encounter with a red tailed hawk or a great horned owl or a Mississippi kite that is very different from seeing one on TV,” Adair said. “We can provide that encounter and similarly build a connection between people in the community and our wildlife resources.”

The Alabama Wildlife Center cares for up to 2,000 injured or orphaned birds from more than 100 different species annually. Birds are brought to the center by staff as well as com-munity members. The center was founded in 1977, which makes it the oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation facility in the state.

As a non-profit organization with only five full-time employees, the center relies on community volunteers to help give proper care to the birds at the center. Alabama Wild-life Center’s two-pronged mission focusing on rehabilitation and community education is essential to gaining volunteers. With over 200 volunteers dedicating their time, Adair can tell that the center’s work is making an

impact on the community.“We are incredibly blessed to be in a com-

munity with so many caring people that give back,” Adair said.

Despite their efforts, Adair points out the in both the state and nation, bird population has declined in recent years. The center knows that the answer to this is more com-munity awareness.

“We need to be aware of these resources that we’ve been blessed with,” Adair said.

The center is grateful for all of the recog-nition received from the community in the 2015 Community Awards.

For more information on the center, visit awrc.org.

Win

ner

Runner Up

C O M M U N I T Y

MEMBEROF THE YEAR

C O M M U N I T Y

CAUSEOF THE YEAR

Shelby County Humane SocietySaving animals’ lives, one at a time

The Alabama Wildlife Center



Saving the world underwaterWhat to know about the state of the Cahaba River

By MADISON MILLER

Hunter Nichols meandered down the river and felt at peace. Beginning on the Cahaba River in Hoover, he had just embarked on a journey to travel down to the Gulf of Mexico with only himself and his canoe.

Nichols’ love of the river began as a child growing up near Cahaba Heights when his mother often took him to fish in the river near U.S. 280. Traveling it was something he always knew he wanted to do. “I’ve always been fasci-nated by people who have canoed from this area to the Gulf,” Nichols said.

Although he tried the trip for the first time in 2004, a flood prevented him from finishing. He tried again in the summer of 2011 and created a documentary, River Dreams, in the process.

Nichols is not alone in his love of the river. The Cahaba is thought to be the longest free-flowing river in the state with some of the most diverse

species north of the Amazon River. Its 131 spe-cies of fish in approximately 194 miles beats the 1,450-mile Colorado River’s fish species by about 100.

What many river-goers fail to realize, how-ever, is that the river is at risk of losing all of that. In fact, it might have been lost already. As

Cahaba Heights resident Hunter Nichols documented his solo journey down the Cahaba in his documentary, River Dreams. Photo courtesy of Hunter Nichols.


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Dr. Myra Crawford, executive director and riv-erkeeper of the nonprofi t organization Cahaba Riverkeeper, points out, studies on the river have not been updated in almost 20 years. With the massive amount of development on the 280 cor-ridor in that time, Crawford believes that the old data cannot possibly be accurate today. She and her colleague David Butler have set out to fi nd the truth, starting with conducting bacteriological tests throughout the river. Although they are not fi nished, what they have found shows the possi-bility of large amounts of damage since the river’s last study. In several areas around 280, levels of E. coli were too high to be considered safe for swimming.

“We want to be able to answer the public’s questions about what’s really happening to the Cahaba and be able to base our answers on cur-rent information,” Crawford said.

Damage to the river will not only affect recre-ational activities, but it will also eventually affect the water provided to 280-area homes. Crawford and Butler believe that the only way to combat the river’s damage is to get residents involved and informed.

“The most important takeaway about the Cahaba River is that it is the primary drinking water source for one-fourth of the population of Alabama, and it is dying,” Crawford said.

Much of the river’s damage comes from urban-ization, or the rapid development of business and residential properties. In these areas, Crawford explains, more rain and damaging runoff makes it into the river because concrete areas prevent the runoff from soaking into the ground. This causes the river to fl ood and widen. More waste and litter are also allowed to fl ow into the river, which affects the quality of the water and the life in it.

Butler pointed out that many residents do not realize how drastically one area’s treatment of the river can affect its downstream neighbors. In areas such as Helena, Butler has reported E. coli levels at three or four times the safe limit.

“A lot of people say that they’ve never thrown trash in the river,” Butler said. “If you’ve thrown something on the ground, you’ve thrown it in the river. Everything ends up there.”

For more information, visit the Cahaba River-keeper Facebook page.

Life in the riverGet to know a handful of the species living in the Cahaba River near U.S. 280

Lioplax

Get to know a handful of the species living in the Cahaba River near U.S. 280

A federally endangered species, the lioplax is thought to only survive in the Cahaba River and Yellowleaf Creek, a Coosa River tributary. The lioplax is a fi lter feeder. While most snails graze algae off of rocks, this snail fi lters its food out of water.

Stinkpot turtleKnown as the little skunks of the turtle world, these turtles can emit a musky, smelly odor.

Red swamp crayfi shThis creature is one of the 21 crayfi sh species in the Cahaba River. Alabama has 85 known crayfi sh species, more than any other state.

Dragonhunter larvaThis dragon larva will grow up to prey on adult dragonfl ies.

Longear sunfi shA common fi sh throughout rivers in the U.S., the longear sunfi sh can also be found in the Cahaba River.

Longear sunfi sh

Other fi sh species in the 280 area of the Cahaba

Stone roller Alabama shinerAlabama shiner Silverstripe shiner Blacktail shiner

Fathead minnow Alabama hogsucker Black Redhorse Spotted bassSpotted gar

Longnose gar


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Greystone Country Club prepares for new fitness center, restaurant

By SYDNEY CROMWELL

As Greystone Golf & Country Club prepares to host the 2016 Regions Tra-dition tournament, it’s checking off the list of renovations. The new Founders Course, golf operations center and golf performance center are all complete. Up next, the club will be remaking the lower level of the clubhouse to create a new fitness facility, childcare center and restaurant.

The country club made the $4 million renovation plans public in May 2014, two months after the Professional Golf Association announced that the Regions Tradition, a part of the Champions Tour, will be held at Greystone from 2016 to 2018. However, Brad Rosenwald, the building and grounds committee co-chair, said he has been working on developing this project for about four years and the focus has always been on member experience, not the tournament.

The Founders Course reopened on March 2 after a joint improvement project by the club and the PGA. Club President Roy Sewell said he and many other club members have played the course, and he’s heard a lot of praise for the new bunker system and redesigned greens. As an avid golfer, this is also one of his favorite parts of the renovations.

“We have a golf course with a half-million PGA investment, new greens and bunkers,” Sewell said. “Our members and tournament players will experience a whole different golf course.”

On March 6, the country club hosted

a grand opening of its 9,000-square-foot golf operations center and plaza. The center holds the golf carts that were formerly stored in the lower level of the clubhouse. The new plaza will provide a day-to-day place for golfers to pick up and drop off their carts, as well as a space for wedding receptions and other events.

“That now becomes the place where

all members begin their golf experi-ence,” Sewell said. “I think the plaza is going to be a focal point.”

Following the operations center, the golf performance center had its grand opening on March 21. The performance center is now the home of the country club’s instructional facilities, including award-winning teacher Mark Black-burn. The next stage of the renovations

will benefit members even if they never pick up a golf club. With the golf carts moved to their own building, the club can begin creating a new fitness facility in their former location. Rosenwald said the new fitness center will be around 8,000 square feet, four times bigger than its current space, and include free weights, cardio and weight machines, classrooms, individual training and

massage therapy.“What we’re trying to do is create

more member-enhancing experience,” Rosenwald said.

Mallory Bobba, the club’s com-munications director, said the fitness center will be open 24 hours a day and is planned for completion by the end of 2015.

The club will hire an outside service to staff the childcare facility. Rosenwald said Greystone will not be providing all-day care, just short-term service while parents are playing tennis, golf or other activities.

The current fitness center will remain operational until the new one is com-plete. After that, it will be replaced by a restaurant and bar that will be open five to seven days a week.

Bobba envisions the restaurant as the “neighborhood hub,” with a modern style and plenty of windows looking out onto the golf courses and patio. Grey-stone plans to complete the restaurant by March 2016, so it will be fully oper-ational in time for the Regions Tradition. Rosenwald hopes the club’s additions will entice more people to join through full or social memberships, which include access to every amenity except the golf course. Currently, around one-third of Greystone residents are mem-bers of the country club.

“We would like to double that,” Ros-enwald said.

Follow Greystone Golf & Country Club’s renovation progress at grey-stonecc.com.

A member of the Greystone Golf & Country Club practices his swing at the Founders Course. The course was renovated in preparation for the Regions Tradition in 2016. Photo by Sydney Cromwell.


Master planning

continues for Oak Mountain

By SYDNEY CROMWELL

The possible hotel and convention center at Oak Mountain State Park are still up for con-sideration as the final stage of the master plan-ning process begins. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Shelby County and the city of Pelham are currently at work on a final draft of the park’s master plan to present to the public.

Shelby County Director of Development Services Chad Scroggins said county staff members are currently pulling together data from studies of the park and a citizen survey that ended in February. They will have to cat-alog every amenity currently in the park, from swings to water fountains, to know what will need repairs or replacements. Community feed-back will also help determine what new park amenities will be included in the plan.

“This is where the true typing and work begins,” Scroggins said, noting that much of the work will not be noticeable to the public until the final draft is presented.

As part of its ongoing efforts to stop the potential hotel and convention center, Keep Oak Mountain Wild is doing its own study of the park. Group President Rita Jablons-ki-Jaudon said members are studying possible safety hazards that the proposed 175-room

hotel, 20,000 square feet of meeting space and 10,000-square-foot ballroom would create. She mentioned possible problems with the integrity of dams in the various lakes or the current septic system’s ability to handle such a structure.

The group is also getting more involved with the park by helping to organize 5K runs. Jablonski-Jaudon said Keep Oak Mountain Wild has been in touch with the park’s manager about organizing volunteers for park functions.

So far, there are more than 4,000 signatures on the Keep Oak Mountain Wild online petition to block the hotel and convention center, and Jablonski-Jaudon said most of those signatures are from Shelby County residents. Members of the group came out in force to express their disapproval during a March 2 public meeting with state parks division director Greg Lein of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Jablonski-Jaudon said she also hears from many residents when she wears her Keep Oak Mountain Wild shirt while running errands.

“So far the interactions I’ve received are very, very positive,” Jablonski-Jaudon said.

Scroggins said the final draft of the master plan should be presented to the public in late May.

Oak Mountain State Park welcomes visitors for horseback riding, hiking, camping and other activities. The park could soon feature a new convention center.


An act a dayLocal mother and teen start charity

By SYDNEY CROMWELL

It started with Easter baskets. After her diagnosis with osteo-sarcoma in April 2012, 12-year-old Ally Nelson and her mother, Christina, decided to make bas-kets for her fellow cancer patients at Children’s of Alabama.

Throughout the next three years of surgeries, remission and relapses, the Nelson family leaned on their community and members of their church, The Connection at Chelsea, to keep going. Ally and Christina kept making their Easter baskets and wanted to find other ways to express their generosity.

With the help of their friend Kim Parmley, the Nelsons started the Butterfly Project 365 in October 2014. It’s a nonprofit organization based on the idea of doing a random act of kindness every day, and their motto is to “see a need and fill it.”

“If you do one act of kindness for a different person every day, you would change 365 lives,” Christina said. “We want to reach out to the lost and the broken and people who need lifting up.”

Their projects so far have

Christina Nelson, Ally Nelson and Kim Parmley hold “random act of kindness” cards that they give out to strangers. Photo by Sydney Cromwell. Continued on next page


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Tripp’s Story

Jessica and Nick Nichols remember the long hours spent praying over their son, Tripp, when they first found out he was sick. They just wanted him to live and to be happy.

At 3 years old, Tripp has answered his parents’ prayers. His mother said he loves music and being around people.

“He’s happy all the time,” Jessica said. “He’s very smiley.”

It hasn’t been an easy journey for the Nichols, though. Doctors have been unable to find a diagnosis for the illness that has wreaked havoc on Tripp’s tiny body. He has severe epilepsy, developmental delays and is mostly blind. He must be fed with a gas-trointestinal tube because of his difficulties with swallowing.

Jessica is a stay-at-home mother because Tripp’s care is a full-time job, while her husband, Nick, works to support the family and the increasing medical expenses.

“We have a never-ending stack of med-ical bills,” Jessica said. “No matter how hard we try, we’re always accruing more.”

However, there have been some bright spots. Tripp was never expected to be able to stand or walk. With the help of a gait trainer, he’s been able to reach both of those achievements in the past few months.

Since there is no diagnosis, the Nichols have no idea what will happen to Tripp as he gets older, or whether he’ll get better or worse. Jessica said this has given them a different perspective on tiny, ordinary moments that parents of a typical child would overlook.

“We don’t lose the everyday. Everything at our house is a celebration, whether it’s him holding his sippy cup or standing up,” Jessica said.

Whatever the future holds for them, Jessica said they will be able to meet it because of their community support and their faith.

“We believe that Tripp is a miracle and there’s purpose for his life,” Jessica said. “Our faith in God is what has got us through.”

Nick Nichols kisses his 3-year-old son, Tripp. Photo courtesy of Jessica Nichols.

ranged in size, from giving out cards with inspirational messages to creating a Christ-mas “angel tree” pairing five local families in need with people who purchased their Christ-mas presents. The Butterfly Project also supports Kids First, an after-school program for at-risk children in Alabaster, by buying snacks and bringing Christmas goody bags.

“They don’t have a lot of funding, so we’ve been helping them,” Nelson said.

In January, the Nelsons focused their efforts on their friend Jessica Nichols, whose son Tripp has an undiagnosed genetic disor-der causing seizures and affecting his ability to walk, see and eat.

“They go through a lot and have endured a lot,” Nelson said. “Tripp and Ally have such a special connection.”

The Nelsons and the Nichols met through The Connection at Chelsea not long after Tripp first became ill. When she first talked to the Nelsons, Nichols recognized a kindred spirit in Christina.

“We shared the same heart — maybe not the same journey, but the same heart,” Nich-ols said.

To help the Nichols family with their medical expenses, the Butterfly Project held a benefit concert on Jan. 17. Seven local performers took the stage at Chelsea High School, and vendors sold products with all proceeds going to Tripp and his parents. Nelson said they raised around $1,000.

“The family was very happy; the perform-ers were amazing,” Nelson said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Nichols said the benefit concert was partic-ularly well timed because her husband, Nick, had been out of work for a few months.

“We feel like God’s timing was perfect,” Nichols said.

Ally, now a freshman at Chelsea High School, has been very involved in the But-terfly Project’s work and remains its driving force for new ideas.

“She’s been very hands-on,” Christina said. “We just help manifest her vision and dreams into something bigger than she expected.”

Right now, the Nelsons and Parmley are working on getting their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Their next big project is to bring together cancer patients at Children’s and professional photographers to do fun photo shoots. The resulting photos will be put into a calendar and sold during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September, with the proceeds benefiting the hospital.

In the future, the founders of the Butterfly Project hope to provide food for the homeless in Shelby County and small grants to people in financial need. As they work toward that goal, however, the Nelsons will continue providing daily acts of kindness and their yearly Easter baskets for families who know the pain of the empty bank account or the hospital waiting room.

“We’re going to be doing some big things for our community,” Nelson said. “We just want to make people smile.”

To learn more, visit the Butterfly Project 365 Facebook page.


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Hoover boasts state’s highest percentage of National Board-certified teachers

By ROY L. WILLIAMS

Hoover City Schools doesn’t just boast of Alabama’s highest percentage of National Board Certified Teachers. It shatters the nationally average.

About 15 percent of Hoover’s 950 teachers have voluntarily sought national certification, which is administered through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. National Board Certification represents the pinnacle of professional development for teachers. Hoover City Schools’ percentage is five times the national average of 3 percent of teachers who seek National-Board Certification.

To laud this achievement, the Hoover Board of Education recognized Hoover’s 149 National Board-Certified Teachers at its March meeting held at Spain Park High School. The recognition was in conjunction with Alabama’s National Board Certified Teacher Week, held March 9-13.

Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey said Hoover’s high number of nationally certified teachers is a major reason draw for the city in terms of recruiting businesses and residents.

“This just further confirms that we have one of the greatest school systems in the country and adds to the quality of life for our residents to live and raise their families,” Ivey said. “This is one of the many reasons that Hoover was just recognized as one of the top 30 cities in the country to live.”

Getting national certification from

the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is a rigorous journey. According to Hoover schools spokesman Jason Gaston, it is a months-long, performance-based, peer review process centered on five core propositions. Hoover’s National Board Certified Teachers are at all levels: elementary, intermediate,

middle and high school. Berry Middle School’s Dianna

Minor said she encourages colleagues who have not gone through the process to explore the opportunity. Ultimately, she says, students benefit from teachers becoming national board certified.

“I think by becoming a NBCT

I learned the power and impact of collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders,” Minor said. “As a NBCT, I learned to become more reflective in my teaching practices. You want to find the best way to implement a lesson and touch all the students in your classroom. So I’m constantly asking myself is this lesson

relevant, rigorous, challenging?”The Hoover Board of Education

website, hoovercityschools.net, has a listing of all of the certified teachers and nominees as well as of Hoover teacher of year and JSU Teacher Hall of Fame. For more information on becoming National Board Certified, visit nbpts.org.

Hoover Board of Education recognized the system’s 149 National Board-Certified Teachers at its March meeting at Spain Park High School. Photo courtesy of Hoover City Schools.

Integrating technology into educationHoover City Schools implements Engaged Learning Initiative

By JESSA PEASE

In Hoover City Schools, students from third to 12th grade now have their own Chromebooks. On them, Google Classroom and Chalkable soft-ware is changing the way students are learning from Trace Crossings Elementary School to Spain Park High. Bryan Phillips, chief tech-nology officer with Hoover City Schools, said he can see how the incorporation of Google is becoming part of everyday learning through the system’s 1:1 Engaged Learning Initiative.

“The kids are the catalyst,” Phillips said. “Once we fire those kids off, they change the teachers pretty quick… they are leading teachers, telling them how to do things.”

Teachers weren’t without their own train-ing though. In order to properly implement the Chromebooks, technology integration coordi-nator Kelli Lane said Hoover trained ELI facil-itators from each school. One or two teachers for each grade or department came in during the summer to learn the Google tools, and through-out the year those teachers taught their peers.

Lane said ninth grade pre-AP English teacher Tosha Caston-Smith from Spain Park stands out for incorporating technology in the classroom.

“I think it’s opened the rest of the world to the classroom, and you are no longer confined to this one room and the knowledge in this room,” Caston-Smith said. “That’s what’s made it transformative.”

In her class, students keep up with what’s trending in the news, work in groups by edited shared documents and receive recorded feedback on their papers. It’s not how she used to teach, but she recognizes the good it is doing for her students

“I think the technology is not the important part in a lot of ways,” Caston-Smith said. “Them

being able to be flexible and adaptable — to learn how to learn — that’s what’s important for my ninth-graders.”

This year she is using the idea that everything is better when they are doing it together. Through their writing and ideas, one group set up a regi-men with the janitors to unclog the shower drains in the locker room, one was able to create a side-walk and crosswalk on the campus, and another

raised more than $800 dollars for Open Hands, Overflowing Hearts.

“It’s kind of strange you have to get used to it because instead of having a textbook, you have a laptop,” said ninth-grader Mia Bradley. “You have to know a bunch of links.”

She and fellow ninth-graders Kacey Stark and Anna Morgan all use their Chromebooks every day in the classroom. None of the girls have

physical books to carry. Instead, they are able to complete surveys, hold group discussions and blog in English class.

“A lot of my classes use software to share PowerPoints,” Morgan said, “so you can pay attention during class and then review the Pow-erPoint at home.”

Students are able to use their Chromebooks to type in shared documents during open discussion so everyone in the group can keep track of their notes. Photo by Jessa Pease.


It’s a wonderful bandOak Mountain band encounters snowstorm on Carnegie Hall trip

By OLIVER MORRISON

The spring trip to play at Carnegie Hall in New York would be the culmination of every-thing that many members of Oak Mountain High School band had been practicing for more than six years. Two seniors band leaders, Beth Noland and Colby Cunkel, giddily explained:

“We’re like a big family,” Noland said. “We’re around each other every hour of every day.”

“Multiply that by four years,” added Cunkel.“Plus middle school,” reminded Noland.“And after-school practices,” said Cunkel.“Friday nights, Saturday competitions,” listed

Noland.“So we really know each other well,” finished

Cunkel.But bandleader Kevin Owenby wasn’t going

to make it easy for them. The band already had to submit recordings a year beforehand before they

could be invited. And then in November Owenby chose the music: “Music of the Spheres” by Philip Sparke.

“It’s the most rhythmically challenging piece I think I’ve ever seen,” said Travis Bender, associ-ate director of the Oak Mountain Band.

“It’s very technically challenging,” Owenby added. “Every student had to work very hard to master their part and then had to work hard to make it fit together.”

The band received assistance from the direc-tors of both the Auburn and the University of Alabama’s band directors. Owenby would stay up at night after putting his kids to bed to listen to recordings from the rehearsal that day and make detailed pencil marks.

By the time he got to school the next day, the musical score was filled with parts to fix. Noland, a clarinetist, would sometimes get frustrated when they practiced the piece for long hours

When the group traveled together to places like the Statue of Liberty, they had to learn to walk quickly like a New Yorker. Photo courtesy of Bob Fitzgerald.


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and even wondered what all this work was for.When the band finally got off the bus at Car-

negie Hall on March 1, they faced on final chal-lenge: a New York snowstorm. New York was in the midst of its coldest and most snow-filled February in a century. So it was a tad chaotic to herd 125 students with their uniforms and instruments through the falling snow, according to Bob Fitzgerald, whose son Drew plays in the wind ensemble.

When the band finally walked on stage, Noland said she was more excited than ner-vous. Normally, the crowd will stand to applaud after all three songs are finished. But the wind ensemble received multiple standing ovations after each song.

“That never happens,” said Noland. “The acoustics were just amazing,” said

Cunkel.“You hear that note ring for seconds after,”

said Noland.“It’s one of those places where you sound

better than you actually are because of how great it sounds there,” said Cunkel.

“And think of all the people that performed up there,” said Noland.

“Oh yeah, tons of people,” said Cunkel.When Owenby finally left out the back, he

heard audience members still crowing about how amazing the performance had been.

“From a musical standpoint, it’s an acousti-cally perfect room,” Fitzgerald said, whose older daughter went on the first Oak Mountain band trip to New York more than five years before. “To sit that and hear that as a parent, it was so emotional, so moving, a once in a lifetime thing. And for me it was twice in a lifetime.”

The snow continued to pile up, and the band was forced to scramble for a place to stay an extra night because the roads weren’t passable.

“It was kind of a big deal,” Bender said, “because most of the kids did not have enough changes of clothes or money and we were kind of hanging on by a thread so to speak.”

Although they were in one of the most excit-ing places in the world, Noland said, at that point all the students could pay attention to was the snow: they licked snowflakes from the sky and ducked under snowballs.

By that time, the students had already spent five days in New York and become more accus-tomed to “moving like a New Yorker,” as their tour guide had constantly been reminding them. Noland learned that when she said “hi” to locals, instead of having it returned with south-ern hospitality, they would probably ignore her.

Some students practiced saying, “Give me a dawg,” instead of asking politely for a hot dog, so the street vendor didn’t charge the a tourist price of seven bucks. They also learned that they didn’t have to keep their purses hidden under their coats, after hearing stories from their par-ents of strangers coming up with knives and cutting the straps.

More than 20 parents helped chaperone groups of eight students around the city, but the

band got all together for big events. So Cunkel was with all his bandmates when he finally got to taste authentic Shanghai lo Mien in Chinatown after hearing his parents talk about how good it was from their time living in San Francisco.

Noland’s favorite movie when she was little was Annie, so it was a dream come true for her to see the Broadway show Wicked just like in the movie. She saw the piano in the toy store FAO Schwartz from the movie Big.

And when she ascended the Empire State building, she noticed that, because of the extreme cold, other tourists would take a quick look and head back inside.

But not Noland. She had just seen the movie Sleepless in Seattle the week before, so she lin-gered, pointing out famous landmarks such as Times Square and Yankee stadium, until finally someone came out and told her that it was time to leave.

Band director Kevin Owenby challenged his students to perform one of the most difficult pieces a high school group can play: “Music of the Spheres” by Philip Sparke. Photos by Oliver Morrison.

Beth Noland, clarinet, and Colby Kunkel, tenor saxophone, spent many hours in their award-filled band room preparing for their New York performance.


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Your Health Today By Dr. Irma Leon Palmer

The Caffeine Question

Coffee. It may be the “best part of waking up”, but is it the best thing for us? As a $30 billion industry, coffee has percolated its way to the top of the list of most actively traded commodities in the world, right behind oil. However, does coffee love us quite as much as we love it?

The question is less about coffee, and more about the caffeine it contains. A Google search will reveal every angle of argument surrounding the supposed benefits of caf-feine to our health. In 2015, the proverbial pendulum is swinging in favor of three to five cups of coffee a day to potentially lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, this short-sighted hypoth-esis is not taking into consideration the high sugar and chemical contents of popular coffee drinks, which essentially reverses the statistic towards the negative. From the perspective of chiropractic care, we focus on the effect of caffeine on the nervous system – your brain, nerves and spinal column.

According to Dr Jasvinder Chawla in “Neurological Effects of Caffeine”, low to moderate caffeine doses of 50-300mg produce behavioral effects such as increased alertness, energy and concentration. Higher doses have

induced negative symptoms such as anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, and tachycardia. A double-blind controlled study revealed that 200mg of caffeine reduced sleepiness in early morning drivers for approximately 30 minutes after a two hour sleep restriction. In the brain, adenosine attaches itself to receptors, which cause a slowdown of nerve cell activity and activates drowsiness. When we ingest caf-feine, it blocks adenosine from attaching to the receptors and nerve activity is sped up, causing the adrenaline hormone to kick in, producing a burst of energy.

While caffeine does have an impressive list of chemical services it performs on your behalf, long-term effects of ignoring your body’s cry for rest can create a sleep deficit that can be difficult to recover from. The dra-matic energy boost of adrenaline, cortisol and dopamine can temporarily trick your mind into thinking you’ve made up for sleep you have missed, but in reality it has only pushed you past that warning sign of exhaustion. Repeatedly triggering these ‘fight-or-flight’ hormones has been shown to increase blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, depression-like symptoms, weight gain, imbalanced hor-mones, heart disease, among other symptoms.

Dr Chawla’s research has suggested that while sleep patterns are only significantly altered with 200mg or more of caffeine, you may be missing out on the vital benefits of deep sleep and the healing benefits it pro-vides. Dr Joseph Mercola notes that impaired sleep can weaken the immune system, accel-erates tumor growth, initiate a pre-diabetic state, slow reaction time, and decrease per-formance of physical and mental tasks. So while that overpriced cup of coffee may perk you up in the morning, what cost will you pay in the long run?

Caffeine can also be a contributing factor to lower back pain, which affects 9 out of 10 people at some point in their lives and is one of the most common reasons people seek pain relief from their doctors. Aside from being potentially dehydrating to the body, unchecked caffeine intake overworks the adrenal glands which are located on top of the kidneys in the lower back region. Weakened adrenal glands pull nutrients from ligaments and tendons because supporting that organ function is placed in priority over strong connective tissue. The ligaments and tendons therefore suffer over time as the adrenals are never given a rest. The first ligaments to wear

down from this undernourishment are usually those that support the sacroiliac joint, which bares the weight of the whole body. Where would this sacroiliac joint be located? None other than the lower back region. Sublux-ations result when the spinal structure and its surrounding support system, our muscles and ligaments, are not cared for properly, and therefore every organ system is put into jeopardy.

Moderation is key to caffeine intake, with clean water and occasional organic teas even-tually forming the base of your liquid diet. At Chiropractic Today, we view healthy nutri-tional choices as a pivotal part of optimal health. If you would like to learn more about the interaction of your diet and your nervous system health, we would love to speak with you. Our intention is to help you live at your God-given, fullest potential. The capacity to regain one’s health is present in all of us. The unknown is, how long will it take? Schedule your free consultation today at 205-991-3511 or visit our website www.chiropractictoday.com.


Zachary El-Fallah trains with Hoover Dive Club and dives for Spain Park High although he is still in middle school. Photo by Keith McCoy.

Part of that was being diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in his sixth-grade year. It’s a heart condition occurring in about one to three of every 1,000 people. It’s characterized by abnormal electrical pathways in the heart that cause a disruption of the heart’s normal rhythm, and it made his heart race. In El-Fallah’s case, it required surgery.

He also suffered a concussion diving as a seventh-grader. So it took a little courage to get back on the board.

Dunham explains another part of it.“When you increase the degree of diffi culty,

you’re no longer diving straight in,” the coach said. “You’re going in blind in every direction. It’s not a natural thing to do. The board throws you into the air, and you’re not always in con-trol so you have to adjust.

“Part of diving is busting and landing wrong, and he’s matured and overcome that. There’s a point in each diver where they go, ‘Ooh, I landed wrong. I’m never going to try that again’ … or ‘I’m going to learn how to do that right.’

“Zachary is just a great kid, a hard worker. We are fortunate to have him in our program.”

DIVERCONTINUED from page A1


By DAVID KNOX

Sammie LaBeau’s smile lights up a room. Considering the darkness that’s been a part of her life, it’s a magical thing.

The 17-year-old Chelsea High senior cheerleader is a Bryant-Jordan Student-Achievement regional winner, nominated by her school and selected by a committee of administrators from Class 6A, Region 5.

LaBeau has succeeded in school and in life despite being dealt a difficult hand. Her mother died from a stroke in 2012. Her father died from compli-cations from alcoholism the next year.

Taken in by her cousins Chrissy and Brian Beavers after her mom passed away, Sammie (she prefers that to “Samantha”) admits she was

depressed for several months. And after her father died, she decided she could either go on being depressed or go on living. She chose to embrace life, and got involved in even more school activities.

“After my parents passed away, I felt like I needed to do everything to make them proud, be the kind of person they would want me to be. It’s a bad situation, but I just don’t see why I shouldn’t draw something good from it.

“I wouldn’t be in all the clubs I’m involved with if it hadn’t happened this way,” she said. “I felt like I — I don’t want to say I want to ‘inspire’ people because that sounds dumb …”

But Chelsea High Assistant Princi-pal Joshua Britnell said that’s exactly what she does, inspire others.

“She’s seemingly always positive, coming from the situation that she’s come from as difficult as that’s been, always has a smile on her face and a bounce in her step.

“Things aren’t always easy for her here, either, dealing with issues that girls deal with in high school, be they relationships and that kind of stuff. And even through the day-to-day stuff, she’s still found a way to be a good role model for our younger cheerlead-ers and for our younger students as well.”

She’s been a cheerleader since sev-enth grade. She’s captain of the squad, and when the cheer squad went to perform at halftime of the 2014 Sugar Bowl, she was named the Worldstrides

Despite loss of parents, Chelsea’s Sammie LaBeau inspires others with positive attitude

Be of good cheer

Sammie LaBeau cheers for Chelsea High School.


280Living

Events B4Community B10School House B16Sports B18

See CHEER | page B21

BSECTION

280 LivingB2 • April 2015

280Living.com April 2015 • B3

April 4, 8 a.m.-noon Veterans Park on Valleydale

The Krispy Kreme Doughnut Dash is a nonprofi t event presented by Brown Mackie College to benefi t Children’s of Alabama. Participants will complete a 4-mile run and eat a dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in one hour or less. Runners will start at Veterans Park, run 2 miles, eat a dozen doughnuts and run back along the same route, fi nishing back at Veterans Park.

Runners who aren’t interested in eating a dozen doughnuts may register in the Casual Runner division and eat one or some (or no) doughnuts, taking the rest home to enjoy. Participants in the Fun Run will be given a single doughnut at the halfway mark.

For more information, visit k2d2fun.com.

April 10, 3:30 p.m.-midnight Spain Park High School football fi eld

The city of Hoover’s Relay for Life will feature vendors, games and activities for chil-dren and food available for purchase. At 5 p.m. cancer survivors can participate in the survivor dinner followed by their lap around the fi eld, and at 9 p.m. guests will honor the memory of those who have passed away and those who are currently fi ghting the battle.

Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s biggest fundraising event, bringing awareness to each community. The event symbolizes hope and a shared goal to end a disease that threatens lives.

For more information, visit relay.acsevents.org.

Relay for Life

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Dash

Spring events in full swing

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SpringEvents

April 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.Mt Laurel

This annual festival in Mt Laurel features craft vendors, produce from local farmers, a kids’ area with inflatables, a petting zoo, rides, food trucks and food from local restaurants. Pets are also welcome to participate in the event and compete in a doggie dress-up contest.

For more information, visit mtlaurel.com or call 408-8696.

Spring Festival in Mt Laurel

April 11, 7-11 a.m. Veterans Park on Valleydale

The annual Walk for Autism and 5K Race unifies thousands of participants statewide in support of the mission and projects of the Autism Society. Autism is the fastest growing devel-opmental disability in the U.S., and it affects over 50,000 people in Alabama alone. There is also a noncompetitive 2-mile awareness walk. Participants are welcome to bring strollers and wagons for youth participants.

The first person to finish the walk will be awarded with a first place finisher medal. After the walk and race, team members can enjoy food vendors, bounce houses and a kids’ activ-ity corner. The top fundraiser and largest team will be awarded a trophy and recognized at the event, and top female and male in each race age group will also be recognized.

For more information, visit walkforautismal.com.

Walk for Autism


April 18, 7-11 a.m.Veterans Park on Valleydale

PurpleStride Birmingham unites the community and raises awareness and support for the fight against pancreatic cancer. The timed 5K run and family-friendly walk will take participants through Veterans Park, with children’s activities, entertainment and refreshments to follow.

It is estimated that more than 48,900 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and more than 40,000 will die from the disease. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer death, with a 5-year relative survival rate of just 7 percent.

For more information, visit purplestride.kintera.org.

April 22, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Metropolitan Church of God

The Hannah Home Ladies Auxiliary will host its annual Spring Tablescapes Luncheon, welcoming women from across the area to help raise funds for the home. More than 30 volunteer decorators will turn each table into an elaborate theme. Through the years, a stepladder, bicycle, nativity scene and an Eiffel Tower have all served as centerpieces.

The luncheon will feature guest speaker Amie Beth Shaver, and Patricia “Sister Schubert” Barnes will be signing her new book that was released in December. There will also be a silent auction for guests to participate in. The luncheon has raised as much as $20,000, which is donated in full to the home to cover operating expenses such as utilities.

PurpleStride Birmingham 2015

SpringEvents

Tablescapes Luncheon


SpringEvents

May 2, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Veterans Park on Valleydale

Celebrate Hoover Day is an annual citywide celebration that is free to the public. It draws more than 10,000 residents of all ages for a day at the park. Parking is available at Spain Park High School with complimentary shuttles to the park.

Event Features:Veterans Memorial Paver Dedication • Giant apple pie • Blue Bell ice cream • Expan-

sive exhibitor pavilion • Kids Zone with inflatables & games • Petting zoo • Carnival rides • Blood drive • Car show

Live entertainment • Document shredding provided by Cintas • Electronic recycling provided Technical Knock-Out.

For more information, visit hooveral.org.

Celebrate Hoover Day

April 26, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Veterans Park on Valleydale

The Diabetes Walk for Camp Seale Harris is a family-friendly walk/run to raise awareness of diabetes, connect the diabetes community and provide an opportunity for kids to attend Camp Seale Harris — Alabama’s only diabetes camp. Participants can register themselves or as a team and invite friends, family and co-workers to join the effort by donating.

Since 1949, Camp Seale Harris has provided a medically supervised, fun camp expe-rience for thousands of youth with diabetes. Camps are provided in 12 sessions in nine locations in Alabama and Northwest Florida.

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Diabetes Walk for Camp Seale Harris


Italian Food Festival marks church’s heritageBy HANNAH JONES

Four years ago, Robert Sbirssa saw the Ital-ian community around Birmingham losing touch with its roots. It was then that he decided to create a festival that was about more than just the food.

“We wanted to build an event for the parish which really would find a common thread with a lot of our parishioners,” said Sbrissa, the Feast organizer. “Even though they’re not all Italian, there’s still a good Italian background, and that is the common theme that binds everybody together.”

The festival was designed to resemble a tradi-tional Italian feast. It recreates St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy, and all of the food is authentic Italian. The festival will feature fare from 12 Italian restaurants around Birmingham, such as Bellini’s and Amore. There will also be 6,000 homemade cookies as well as beer and wine imported from Italy.

“We try to give people a feel and flavor for what real Italian culture is, as opposed to the typical stuff people see,” said Sbrissa. “We really focus a lot on authenticity and quality.”

The feast is a family event, and encourages community and culture. There are events for all ages, but Sbrissa wanted younger attendees to take away more than just food from the event.

“It gives a younger generation a glimpse into what their families were really about, and under-stand and appreciate that,” said Sbrissa.

Many of the activities are traditional Italian games. This year, there will be 16 different events for children ranging from age 2 to teens, including face painting, amusement rides and a grape stomp. The feast will also feature a cigar patio, a Dean Martin tribute show, bocce ball

games and Italian dancers, all of which will appeal to adults.

“It’s really been about creating that event that’s multi-generational and emphasizes the values of family, faith and fun,” said Sbrissa. “When we incorporate all of those elements together, it really changes the event and makes

it one that everybody wants to go to and spend time [at] together. Food is only a small part of what we do.”

The Feast of Saint Mark has grown over its four-year life span. The first year they welcomed 1,500 people, three times their original estimate, and the next two years they were up to about

3,000 people.The feast will be held on April 25 from 3-11

p.m. For the first time since its inception, the feast will coincide with the traditional Feast of Saint Mark, held on April 25 every year. The money raised from the feast goes towards the church and the charities it works with.

The Feast of Saint Mark Italian Food Festival provides a variety of different types of entertainment, including a live band, Dean Martin impersonator and children’s activities. Photo courtesy of Paul Franklin.

Feast of Saint MarkSaturday, April 253-11 p.m.Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church7340 Cahaba Valley Road$20 adults, $10 kidsfeastofstmark.com


What’s your reason? Race benefits children in Uganda

By JESSA PEASE

A heap of mud-soaked tennis shoes sets Sozo Children’s Run for a Reason apart from other 5Ks. That and the obstacle course filled with barbed wire and hay bales.

Run for a Reason is one of Sozo Children’s three major annual fund-raisers, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting orphaned and neglected children in Uganda. The collection of mud-covered shoes will also be sent to those children, although they’ll be cleaned first.

This year marks the fourth annual 5K and Fun Run and will take place Sunday, April 12, at YMCA Hargis Retreat. Registration will begin at 1 p.m., accompanied by vendors and food trucks for participants. The 5K adventure run starts at 3:30 p.m.

“This is a huge fundraiser that fuels what the Lord is doing in Uganda through Sozo Children,” said Laura Haley, the relations coordinator with Sozo Children. “We are excited and looking forward to inviting everybody who wants to come out.”

The race goes into the woods with natural obstacles as the trail leads over bridges and through streams. Runners will also encounter some man-made obstacles that require crawling mili-tary-style through the mud, although participants can avoid getting dirty if they’d like. The timed runners are required to trudge through all the chal-lenges of the run, but fun runners can

opt out of them. All the proceeds go to Sozo’s Vil-

lage Project, which recently closed on 27 acres of land in Uganda. The Village Project is Sozo’s vision to equip the community to grow tomorrow’s leaders. It provides an opportunity for children

to grow up and learn. This project will break ground soon and begin building homes for children, a church, a medical

clinic and a school facility. “Now we actually own land and are

getting ready to break ground,” Haley said. “It’ll be exciting to follow and

see as buildings are erected out there.”Run for a Reason isn’t limited to

just the 280 corridor, though. The hashtag #myreason allows runners from all over the nation to participate and connect with Sozo Children.

“We now have runners all over the

country that run for their own individ-ual reasons,” Haley said. “They put that hashtag up on social media, and it’s a fun way to follow up and see who’s running for what.”

For more information, visit sozochildren.org/racenow.

Runners will have to complete many obstacles through the adventure run, such as crawling through the mud under barbed wire. Photo courtesy of Laura Haley.

Run for a ReasonApril 12, 3:30 p.m.YMCA Hargis Retreat928 Hargis Drive, Chelseasozochildren.org/racenow

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Oak Mountain senior places in Distinguished Young Women program By JESSA PEASE

After placing first in this year’s Distinguished Young Women of Shelby County program, Oak Mountain High School senior Brooklyn Holt moved on to the state competition, where she took home $10,200 and the title of first runner-up.

“It’s definitely an honor just to be able to say that I was first runner-up representing the class of 2015,” Holt said. “There were phenomenal girls I participated with.”

The competition was held in Montgomery on Jan. 23 and 24. The participants competed in several cate-gories: scholastics, talent, fitness, self-expression and an interview. They all took the week off from school and stayed with host families in order to rehearse for the week leading up to the competition.

Holt said that her favorite part of the process was staying with her host family because she feels like she has a second family now. She’s already planned to stay with them again in Auburn while visiting “brothers and sisters” from the program.

“The experience was, by far, one of the best weeks of my life,” Holt said. “Just meeting all these phenomenal young women, and honestly, getting away from reality for a week. We took off a week of school, and we just got to relax. The final performance was amazing.”

At Oak Mountain High School, Holt is the captain of the majorettes, the president of the National Junior Honor Society chapter, an OMHS Master Ambassador, and a member of the school show choir and the Future Business Leaders of America. She is also a part of the Church of the Highlands Haven Leadership Team and the Auburn Honor Band. In addition to these activities, Holt founded “Raise Your Voice for Children” and has

Oak Mountain High School’s Brooklyn Holt, right, was named first runner up in the Distinguished Young Women of Alabama competition. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Holt.

WMU grants help Liberian schools reopen

By CANDICE LEE

National WMU and the WMU Foundation provided grants from the HEART (Humanitarian Emer-gency Aid for Rebuilding Tomor-row) Fund to assist Liberia as it recovers from the Ebola crisis. A total of $44,000 went toward reopening Liberian schools Feb.16.

“Schools have been shut down for seven months,” said Dr. Olu Menjay, principal of Ricks Institute. “This gift ignites renewed hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.”

Ricks Institute, a Baptist school in Liberia that serves more than 600 children in kindergarten through high school, will receive $35,000 of the HEART Fund grant to provide meals for its boarding school students. The Marla Corts School and the Dellanna O’Brien School, both located in rural

Liberian villages, will receive $9,000 to help them comply with new safety protocols designed to control the spread of disease. All schools will be required to use chlorinated water and soap, mon-itor temperatures using thermome-ters, and wear uniforms that leave less skin exposed.

The number of Ebola cases has significantly declined in recent weeks, leading the Liberian gov-ernment to reopen schools. More than 3,500 Liberians have died from Ebola since the outbreak began last year. Many families faced unemploy-ment and a desperate hunger crisis. Reopening schools is a significant step in moving forward after Ebola.

For more information, visit wmufoundation.com. WMU is located at 100 Missionary Ridge off U.S. 280.

WMU will be donating about $35,000 to the Ricks Institute to help fund meals for its boarding school students. Photo courtesy of WMU.

received several music and service awards.During the competition in Montgomery, she received

awards in the scholastics, self-expression and interview categories in addition to her first runner-up title.

She plans to attend Auburn University in the fall, major-ing in media studies with a sports broadcasting emphasis, and she auditioned for the Auburn University majorettes in March. Holt said she is looking forward to the new experi-ence of college.


Spring Fever Offers!

Birmingham’s largest garage sale is Satur-day, April 25 and Sunday, April 26.

The Junior League of Birmingham’s (JLB) Bargain Carousel will be held in the old Princeton-Hoover location at 2467 John Hawkins Parkway (Highway 150).

There will be over 100,000 items for sale including adult clothing, appliances, art, books, music, children’s clothing, electronics, furni-ture, heirloom items, holiday decorations, home décor, infant furniture and accessories, kitchen items, lighting, linens, office equip-ment and furniture, outdoors and sporting goods, rugs and toys.

Proceeds support community projects with the Junior League’s partner agencies.

“I am newly married and Bargain Carou-sel offered me the perfect opportunity to find some great accessories to decorate our new home,” said Sara Franklin of Inverness. “I

found a great lamp and coffee table that were the perfect addition to our living room!”

The weekend kicks off with a Bargain Bash on Thursday, April 23. For $40 a ticket, VIP admission gets you in the door at 6 p.m. for early bird shopping privileges. General admission (7 p.m.-10 p.m.) is $30.

This year tickets will be pre-sold on Friday, April 24 from 3 p.m.-7 p.m., and shoppers may purchase up to four tickets at $10 each for the Saturday sale.

Bargain Carousel will run Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with $10 tickets for 8 a.m.-10 a.m. or $5 tickets from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. On Sunday it will run from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. with free admission and half-price merchandise.

For more information, call 879-9861, visit bargaincarousel.net or “like” the event on Facebook.

Weekend garage sale features large selection

Area residents attend last year’s Bargain Carousel event.


Shamfest returns to Mt Laurel

U.S. 280 residents cel-ebrated St. Patrick’s Day early this year at The Red Shamrock’s Shamfest. The festival was originally start-ed by the family of Gabe Griffin to benefit the Hope for Gabe Foundation.

When Kay Dailey bought The Red Shamrock in 2013, she decided to continue the festival and benefit other local charities and organi-zations. This year, a portion of proceeds benefitted The Alabama Autism Assistance Program/ The HANDS Pro-gram. The organization pro-vides scholarships and ther-apy to children diagnosed with autism spectrum dis-orders.

Photos by Madison Miller.



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Get in the spirit of spring with a white eyelet top by Johnny Was ($72) and peach Ann Taylor loft capris ($22). Accessorize with Nine West gold strap espadrilles ($28), multi-color and multi-strand beaded necklace ($28), rhinestone accent bracelet ($14), A Line designer watch ($115) and Izzy & Ali brown vegan cross body ($29). Get the look at Renaissance Consignment and Marketplace.

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Get in the spirit of spring with a white eyelet top by Johnny Was ($72) and peach Ann Taylor loft capris ($22). Accessorize with Nine West gold strap espadrilles ($28), multi-color and multi-strand beaded necklace ($28), rhinestone accent bracelet ($14), A Line designer watch ($115) and Izzy & Ali brown vegan cross body ($29). Get the look at Renaissance Consignment and Marketplace.

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On days when you still feel a breeze, layer a light pink baby doll top ($42) with long-sleeved lace crop top ($44). Pair with three-button bell bottoms ($46) and multicolored bracelets ($24-$34) for a classic and cute look. Get the outfi t at The Urban Barn.

Lovely laceWhite J Brand jeans ($45.50), a bold orange Moulinetter Soeurs top ($32.50) and a pair of Lucky Brand sandals ($38.50) create a spunky spring look. Add Kate Spade sunglasses ($68.50), a Coccinelle purse ($45.50) and accent jewelry ($18-24) to complete the look. Get it at Second Hand Rose.

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On days when you still feel a breeze, layer a light pink baby doll top ($42) with long-sleeved lace crop top ($44). Pair with three-button bell bottoms ($46) and multicolored bracelets ($24-$34) for a classic and cute look. Get the outfi t at The Urban Barn.



Mt Laurel visits Washington’s tomb

Mary Ashlee Wilbourne and Barrett Hampton laying a wreath at George Washington’s tomb in Mt. Vernon. The 5th graders at Mt Laurel Elementary were asked to participate in this daily ceremony while on a grade level field trip in October of 2014.

The Cahawba Chapter of DAR invited Ethan Vice from former U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus and current U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer’s office to speak to the sixth-grade students at Liberty Park Middle School.

Vice discussed different historical events that took place in Washington DC such as Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream Speech by the reflecting pool, the burning of the White House in 1812 and Dolley Mad-ison’s saving of the full-length portrait of

President George Washington from being destroyed by British soldiers.

He also discussed the building of the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

Vice then explained what constitutes the Bill of Rights. At the end of the presentation, each student received a pocket constitution.

-Submitted by Linda Rummell

OMES holds math fair

How do you combine a student’s pas-sion and personal interests with math? Students in Mrs. Northrup and Mrs. Butter-field’s third grade classes at Oak Mountain Elementary did it through a math fair.

The students chose a topic they were passionate about, such as cooking, sports, animals, careers, candy, games, travel or hobbies. They then spent several weeks

researching the connections between math and their topic and soon discovered the math all around them.

Students created PowerPoint presenta-tions, display boards or posters to share with families and community members Feb. 19. Many of the students even dressed for the part to share their passions and the math behind them.

Students were able to pick a topic they were passionate about, such as cooking, and discuss how math is involved with it. Photo courtesy of Cindy Warner.

Ethan Vice speaks to students at LPMS

School House280 LivingB16 • April 2015

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Bowling at Mt Laurel

Mt Laurel Elementary students participated in a two-week, in-school bowling unit. During the unit students learned bowling skills and also participated in different bowling activities such as Bingo Bowling and Money Bowling for strikes and spares. The students also used a

bowling app on the iPad to keep score. They finished up the unit with a cosmic

bowling day. The third grade students went on a bowling field trip to Brunswick Riverview Lanes at the end of the unit.

Mt Laurel third-graders participated in a cosmic bowling day after a two-week bowling unit. Photo courtesy of Denise Scroggins.

LPMS students celebrate announcement of Newbery Award

More than 70 sixth-grade students gathered in the Liberty Park Middle School Library on Feb. 4 to celebrate the announcement of the 2015 Newbery Award.

Students enjoyed piping hot waffles and garnishes prepared and served by the school’s PTO. Students visited the library earlier in the year to learn about the Newbery Award and to select an award-winning book to read.

To qualify for this special breakfast, the stu-dents had a wide range of choices for projects.

They created book trailers using iMovie, CD covers with a song list of songs that they thought related to their book, video mono-logues of their favorite book character or they rewrote the ending of their book.

Jean Deal, LPMS’s librarian, coordinated the event with sixth-grade language arts teachers Linda Rummell, Amy Woodard and Jenny Williams.

-Submitted by Linda Rummell

Liberty Park Middle School’s PTO serves students at the Newbery Award announcement celebration. Photo courtesy of Linda Rummell


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By DAVID KNOX

Greg Sankey has been named the eighth commissioner of the Southeastern Conference by the presidents and chancellors of the SEC. The position was announced March 12 by Nick Zeppos, chancellor of Vanderbilt University and president of the SEC presidents and chancellors.

Sankey, a Brook Highland resident, is in his 13th year as a member of the Southeastern Con-ference staff, has served as executive associate commissioner and chief operating officer for the league office since 2012. Sankey will succeed Mike Slive, who has served as SEC commis-sioner since 2002 and who announced last Octo-ber that he will retire effective July 31, 2015.

“The institutions of the Southeastern Confer-ence searched for a commissioner who would carry forward the momentum of success enjoyed by the SEC over the last decade while also pos-sessing a vision for change in the modern era of college athletics,” said Zeppos. “Greg Sankey’s experience with our institutions, his respect on the national landscape, his understanding of the balance of athletics and academics, and his pas-sion for the welfare of student-athletes make him the perfect leader for the SEC.”

David Gearhart, chancellor of the University of Arkansas, served as chairman of a search committee that also consisted of Judy Bonner, president of the University of Alabama; Eli Cap-ilouto, president of the University of Kentucky; Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi State University; and Bowen Loftin, chancellor of the University of Missouri.

Brook Highland resident Sankey is new SEC commissioner

Greg Sankey, a Brook Highland resident, is the new commissioner of the SEC.

Sports280 LivingB18 • April 2015

“Greg possesses all of the traits we were searching for in the next commissioner of the SEC,” said Gearhart. “He has shown tremen-dous leadership in his existing role in the con-ference office, and he exudes a passion for the student-athlete that is critical for the new era of college athletics that we have entered. He is the right person to lead the SEC at an important time in our history.”

Sankey has been an integral part of the SEC’s efforts to reshape the league’s governance, enforcement and compliance program, and he has also directed the SEC’s championships staff. He is active within the NCAA committee struc-ture, which includes his current service on the Division I Legislative Council, Committee on Academic Performance and the NCAA Commit-tee on Infractions for which he currently serves

as chairman.“The universities of the SEC represent the

greatest combination of academic and athletic excellence, and I am honored to be selected to follow Mike Slive as commissioner of the Southeastern Conference,” Sankey said. “The SEC is poised to make a difference in the lives of student-athletes for generations to come. We must ensure that the lessons they learn from their achievements in competition and in the class-room translate into success in life after college.”

Prior to joining the SEC staff, Sankey was commissioner of the Southland Conference for nearly seven years. In 1992 he joined the South-land Conference staff, where he served as both assistant and associate commissioner before he was named commissioner in 1996.

Prior to his term at the Southland Conference, he was director of compliance and academic ser-vices at Northwestern State University in Natchi-toches, Louisiana. While at Northwestern State, Sankey also coached the Demons’ golf teams for two years. Previous to his tenure at Northwestern State, he was the director of intramural sports at Utica College in upstate New York.

A native of Auburn, New York, Sankey earned his master’s degree from Syracuse University and his undergraduate degree from the State Uni-versity of New York College at Cortland. Sankey and his wife, Cathy, reside in Brook Highland, and have two daughters, Hannah Michelle (22) and Moriah Elizabeth (18), both graduates of Briarwood Christian School.


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Chelsea High’s Ledbetter is school’s first state wrestling champion

By DAVID KNOX

Aaron Ledbetter made school his-tory when he captured the Class 6A 120-pound title at the AHSAA Wres-tling Championships in Huntsville.

Ledbetter, a Chelsea High junior, won his school’s first wrestling cham-pionship with a sudden victory over Muscle Shoals’ Brennen Shankles in the final.

Ledbetter finished with a record of 44-17 for the season.

Sudden victory is an overtime period if the wrestlers are tied after three periods.

Ledbetter was anxious about the championship match. His opponent had beaten the wrestler Ledbetter had lost to in sectionals.

“He kind of dominated the first period,” Ledbetter said. “But as the match went on, I started feeling a lot better about myself. He seemed to start getting worn down, and I got a lot more confident.

“When we went to overtime, I was almost for sure I was going to win. I had been in three overtimes already this season and hadn’t lost. So after the third period I could tell I had the advantage going into overtime.”

He felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment and achievement when the match was over.

“All that hard work I’ve put into wrestling for seven, eight years finally paid off… all the practice and extra

stuff paid off when I won that state title.”

Ledbetter has been wrestling since

fifth-grade. His father, Wayne, decided to get he and his brother involved in wrestling, because, he said with a

laugh, “I was tired of them fighting with each other all the time.”

But there were no wrestling

programs in Chelsea at the time. “I couldn’t find any place,” Led-

better said. So he took his sons to Alabaster and got them started in the Warrior Wrestling Club. “Over time, I recruited some other prospective wrestlers to come over there with me.”

After a while, he enlisted Ken Waller to help start a wrestling pro-gram in Chelsea.

Aaron said of Waller, “He’s had a huge impact on our wrestling pro-gram. He’s really helped manage the program, and when we didn’t have a head coach, he took on a huge role to keep things going.

“If it weren’t for him, we might not even have a wrestling program.”

The high school program began at Chelsea High when Aaron was in the seventh-grade and he was a member of that inaugural team. Coaches have come and gone, but current head coach Ben East seems to have pro-vided stability. He came from Pelham.

“We’ve literally had a different head coach every year since seventh grade.” Ledbetter said. “So we were getting to that point where we were kind of coaching ourselves and didn’t really trust anybody coming in. But when he came in, he’s really changed the program around.”

Moving into his senior year, Led-better has his sights set as repeating as a state champion.

“That’s the goal,” he said.

Chelsea High junior Aaron Ledbetter won the first wrestling title in school history at the AHSAA state tournament in Huntsville.


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Allstate Sugar Bowl MVP out of 700 performers. She was also a United Cheer Association All-American.

“She’s not just the captain, she’s defi nitely a leader in that group as well,” Britnell said. “She’s not going to brag on herself like she should, because she’s not like that, but she’s always set-ting up dances and cheers and things like that and always instructing in a positive way.”

She carries a 4.03 grade-point aver-age, easily placing her in the top 15 percent of her class.

She’s a member of the National Honor Society and is vice president of the senior class. She’s a member of the Spanish Honor Society, Theta Club, Mu Alpha Theta, a member of the Stu-dent Government Association and vice president of the Key Club.

“For a school this size, it’s really remarkable for her to be involved in all of that,” Britnell said. “And to have active roles in them, not just be a bystander.”

The overall winners will be selected by a statewide committee comprised of school administrators and state busi-ness leaders.

LaBeau and the other 103 students will be recognized at the Bryant-Jordan Banquet set for Birmingham’s Sher-aton Hotel Ballroom on April 13. Her cousins will be there with her, her older sister Stephanie, a couple of friends, and a past cheer coach, Jana Gleaton.

LaBeau said she plans to attend Auburn and major in pharmacy, and she’s thinking about going out for cheerleader her sophomore year. Beyond that, she’s not sure yet.

Whatever path she chooses, it seems pretty likely she’s going to fi nd a way to stay involved, and inspire others along the way as she has at Chelsea.

CHEER CONTINUED from page B1 Spain Park, Oak

Mountain soccer teams face off at

Lakeshore Shootout

Oak Mountain’s Chad Jeter (5) looks to make a play as Spain Park’s Victor Ibanez defends. Photo by John Michael Simpson.


BY DAVID KNOX

The Oak Mountain High School Athletic Boosters will hold their 17th annual golf tour-nament May 1 at Inverness Country Club.

The 4-person scramble event will award prizes

based on a handicap scoring system. Check-in, breakfast and driving range will begin at 6:45 a.m. Shotgun start is at 8 a.m.

Cost is $100 per player and $400 per team. Deadline to enter is April 17.

Fee includes golf, breakfast, lunch and

on-course refreshments. Mulligans, putting con-test tickets and spirit wear will also be sold on tournament day.

Checks can be made out to OMHSAB, and credit cards are also accepted. Mail checks to Oak Mountain High School, 5476 Caldwell Mill

Road, Birmingham AL 35242.If you have any questions or would like to

email your registration, contact Brian Fuller at 243-1572 or [email protected].

OMHS athletic boosters golf tournament set

UAH wins Gulf South tourney at Samford

Mack leads Chargers into NCAA fieldBy DAVID KNOX

Former Oak Mountain basketball standout Ronnie Mack scored 17 points to lead UAH over Union 77-57 in overtime in the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference tournament.

The senior added 8 points the next night as the Chargers held off West Alabama 73-68 to win the Gulf South Conference men’s basketball cham-pionship held at Pete Hanna Center at Samford University on March 7.

UAH advanced to the NCAA Divi-sion II national tournament with the win.

In the final, the Chargers started fast and built a 14-point lead with 17:48 remaining in the second half, but West Alabama’s Tigers roared back and out-scored UAH 41-32 for the remainder of the game.

UAH’s Seab Webster finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while

UWA’s Charles Eaton led the Tigers with 18 points.

Alabama-Huntsville (23-8) earned its fifth NCAA appearance in six

seasons. The Chargers are seeded third in the NCAA South Region and were scheduled to face Lynn on March 14 in Lakeland, Florida.

West Alabama (22-11) earned an at-large bid and was seeded fifth and was to face West Georgia, also from the GSC. Union also made the field, giving the Gulf South, which is head-quartered in Birmingham, four teams in the field.

Webster was named Most Outstand-ing Player of the GSC tournament and was joined on the All- Tournament team by fellow Charger Greg Gard-ner, West Alabama’s Eaton and Justin Wright, Deonta Stocks from West Georgia and Marterrace Brock from Union.

Mack, who averages 11.8 points per game, finished his Oak Mountain career as the school’s leading scorer.

The UAH Chargers celebrate their Gulf South Conference tournament championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Division II tournament. Photo courtesy Gulf South Conference.


& JAPANESE CUISINE

Real Estate ListingsMLS # Zip Address Status Price

624804 35043 388 Deer Ridge Lane New $249,900

625254 35043 105 Brynleigh Drive New $214,700

625038 35043 5012 Hawthorne Place New $196,900

624761 35043 113 Scarlet Lane New $234,900

624646 35043 1274 Liberty Road New $249,900

624635 35043 21 Sweet Gum Lane New $218,900

624725 35043 110 Flagstone Drive New $294,000

624492 35043 1041 Edgewater Lane New $369,900

624426 35043 153 Greenbriar Place New $279,900

624760 35242 4004 Kings Circle New $799,900

624587 35242 5052 Aberdeen Way New $448,700

625334 35242 1213 Legacy Drive New $989,000

624985 35242 5361 Meadow Brook Road New $599,900

388 Deer Ridge Lane

110 Flagstone Drive

280

Real estate listings provided by the Birmingham Association of Realtors on March 16. Agents and agency vary by property. Visit birminghamrealtors.com.


Spring is in bloom, and it’s the perfect time to plant a garden, do some cleaning or start a home renovation. Find tips and tricks from area businesses to jump start any project in our guide.

SpringHome Guide

Spring is in bloom, and it’s the perfect time to plant a garden, do some cleaning or start a home

CSECTION


280Living

Spring Home Guide C1Faith C18Opinion C19Calendar C20

Spring Home GuideSpecial advertising section

280 LivingC2 • April 2015

One-stop shop for all your landscaping needs

Gardner Landscaping is a full-service lawn, landscape and hardscape com-pany. While they specialize in landscaping and hardscape, they also offer service mainte-nance to their customers. They have proudly served the Over the Mountain area since 2006. No matter your budget or landscape, they will give you the personalized attention you deserve.

Gardner Landscaping’s main goal is to pro-vide homeowners and businesses with qual-ity service and landscaping that will increase property value and give you a space you feel proud to call home.

Their nursery is conveniently located by the Riverchase Galleria and allows customers to browse a variety of plants and receive per-sonalized recommendations that best fit their vision. Furthermore, Gardner Landscaping has a sister company called Advanced Turf

Care that specializes in turf weed control and fertilization as well as ornamental tree and shrub maintenance. They will look at a customer’s lawn and landscape and offer professional suggestions.

Their retail garden center has the feel of a “mom and pop” store yet provides you with the plant and landscape material selection of a large garden center. They stock only the best plants, trees, flowers and other landscap-ing material available.

Gardner Landscaping wants to be your one-stop source for all of your landscaping, lawn and hardscape needs and looks forward to having an opportunity to be your company of choice.

For more information call 823-3168 or 401-3347 or visit gardnerlandscapingllc.com.

Our Services Full Service Landscaping

Installation & Design Irrigation Systems Outdoor Living Areas Landscape Lighting Walkways, Walls, Patios, Stonework

Fences, Decks, Gazebos

Mulch, Pine Straw Lawn Maintenance Flowers, Shrubs, Trees, Sod

Lawn Aeration Landscape Clean-Up Drainage Systems Fertilization & Weed Control

CALLProviding High Quality Service and Customer Satisfaction!

Make Your Dreams A Reality

205.823.3168205-401-3347www.garnderlandscapingllc.com

Pro Forma Title wants consumers to know they have a choice. Under federal guidelines, consumers have a right to choose what title company they use, together with other settle-ment services that they can shop for in the clos-ing process, according to Pro Forma Marketing Coordinator Jane Scott. Some consumers do not even fully understand the role of the title industry and therefore need more clarity.

Title insurance protects buyers and home-owners against problems affecting their prop-erty. Having the title company involved in the research of the title to property ensures a quick and secure transfer of land. Pro Forma Title identifies matters and liens that need to be cleared in the commitment and then satisfies those matters as a part of the closing process by the in-house attorney. Pro Forma performs all title work in-house from the beginning of an

order to the final stages of closing. New federal mandates set out by the Con-

sumer Finance Protection Bureau will go into effect August 1, 2015. Pro Forma is in the process of becoming certified to meet those guidelines.

One of the main requirements of the CFPB mandate is to protect the consumer’s non-public information. Using encrypted emails, paper-less filing systems and storing of informa-tion in secure locations are just a few of the ways that Pro Forma is meeting the guidelines established.

The company is located off Valleydale Road at 1900 Indian Lake Drive and offers a 48-hour turn around for orders in Shelby, Jefferson and St. Clair counties. For more information, visit proformatitle.com.

What to know about choosing your title process


280Living.com April 2015 • C3

More Than Your Framing Sourcefine art • custom framing • art, photo & framing restoration • installation

4700 Hwy 280 East • 205 980 2600 • fourcornersgalleryonline.com

Four CornersGallery Owner: Wendi Peeks

Showroom (Inverness Village): 5291 Valleydale Rd., Suite 121

Transform your old cabinets to NEW in just 5 days!

REFACE, don’t REPLACE

Call 205-598-0331

• New Solid Wood Doors and Drawer Fronts

• Painted or Stained

• Custom colors & styles

• No laminates EVER

• Soft-close, hidden hinges

• New knobs and pulls

• Professionally finished and installed (no subs)

• Save $$$$ over remodeling

We want a relationship, not just a job!

Your cure for the common cabinet

Cabinet Cures of Birmingham owner Wendi Peeks found a career she loves in an unlikely place.

“I never expected to end up in the cabinet business, but two years ago, I stepped out of my own kitchen and into, literally, hundreds of others. After 20 years as a tutor for high school and college math, the business was a natural fit for my two passions: geometry and client relationships.

Refacing, not remodeling or refinishing, is the up and coming go-to option in a kitchen makeover because of its flexibility, afford-ability, quality, design and convenience. Cabinet Cures provides custom work without hidden costs and without the need to change out countertops, floors, backsplashes or appli-ances. Doors and drawer fronts are replaced

with solid, wood cabinetry and boxes are clad in wood skins of the same species and finish – NO laminates ever. Design choices fill the range from trendy to classic. Detailed mea-surements, skilled trim carpentry, an eye for design and detail and a relationship, not just a job, are what make Cabinet Cures your cure for the common cabinet. Go from ordinary to extraordinary!

The average kitchen reface cost is about $9,000, takes five days to complete and you get an 83 percent return on your investment. Come visit my Inverness showroom, bring pictures of your kitchen and ideas and let’s make it happen together.”

To learn more, visit cabinetcures.com or facebook.com/CCBham or call Wendi at 598-0331 to set up a design consultation.

Buy what you love

Carla Hamilton knows that both art and framing offer opportunities for self-expression. At Four Corners Gallery, she and her staff help customers explore their creative potential.

“You change your furniture three to four times before you change your art,” Hamilton says. “Therefore, buy what you love. Invest in it. You’re going to have it a long time. You are even likely to pass the art onto your chil-dren or down for generations. Frame properly to ensure their preservation.”

With fine art, custom framing, custom dis-play cases, restoration services, art consultation and installation services, Four Corners Gallery helps customers reach their desired look.Spring is the season for freshening up and Hamilton has several tips for those who want to create a new look in their home or office:

} Buy a new piece of art or two to liven them up.

} Reframe existing artworks for a fresh, updated look. Maybe you never liked the frame it came in or maybe your tastes have changed or your sense of style has evolved. It may be as simple and cost-effective as replacing the mats.

} Frame items you’ve discovered after cleaning out your closets. If you put them back, they’ll never get on your walls and you’ll never enjoy them.

} Rearrange your artworks. Different loca-tions will help you see them again.Gallery Director Karen Clanton is a Cer-

tified Picture Framer with 27 years in art and framing. The gallery has over 3,500 frames to select from and the staff is knowledgeable of historically appropriate frame styles.

Visit fourcornersgalleryonline.com or call 980-2600 for more information on Four Corners Gallery.



It’s what we do...Complete Landscaping Installation

(205) 854-8001 • classicgardens.com

We’ve got you covered!

Retaining Walls • Pathways • PatiosTrees and shrubs • Sod • Irrigation

Fertilization & Weed Control of Lawns

Home construction and renovation trends

When it comes to brick and stone, Alabama Brick is the expert for exteriors, fireplaces, patios and more. The local, family-owned business has been serving Alabama for more than 40 years. Alabama Brick’s Brick Studio location in Hoover is the perfect environment to plan your next project. Katherine Higgins, Alabama Brick’s in-house designer, loves helping her clients choose the right products that help to create their overall vision, needs and budget.

What trends have you seen in home con-struction and renovations?

A majority of new homes are using mostly brick with stone accents such as stone entry-ways and columns. There is a delicate bal-ance when mixing the two materials, but when done right it can create a very custom

and harmonious look. I am also seeing the use of thin brick on interior accent walls and backsplashes, which adds so much character and timeless distinction to your space. Indoor and outdoor fireplaces continue to be popular and add extra value to your home.

What materials or techniques do you rec-ommend for a standout fireplace?

Your fireplace should be the focal point and anchor of your living space. Stone is the perfect material to add the visual weight and distinctive beauty to your fireplace and space. Whether your style is modern and sleek or old world and rugged, there is a style of stone that will fit right in your home. Stone gives you the freedom to customize and create the look that fits you!

To learn more visit alabamabrick.com.

Find what to plant this spring

Spring is bursting forth at Classic Gardens & Landscape. Serving greater Birmingham for over 25 years, Classic Gardens has in fresh shipments of blueberries, fruiting trees, early planting vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, and even a few early bedding plants. After a long cold torturous winter I’m sure we are all happy to feel spring in the air. They have so many plants to choose from that your hardest decisions will be which ones to take home. Still, their friendly and knowl-edgeable staff can help you decide what to plant.

Classic Gardens has plants for sun and plants for shade. Some of their favorite plants require very little care yet give an abundance of color and provide for wildlife like the but-terfly bush. Blueberries are a favorite to plant because they are so easy to grow and will

make a crop the very first year.Are you familiar with their tomato pro-

gram? Their staff can tell you how to grow 300 pounds of tomatoes in a container. The ease of growing in a container means anyone can do it and can have so many tomatoes that you have to give some away.

The biggest secret to growing pretty bed-ding plants is to mix in Fertilome potting soil. Classic Gardens recommends mixing Fertilome Start-N-Gro fertilizer into the soil. Come in and they will show you how to have the prettiest yard on the block.

Need a beautiful lawn? Nobody does it better than Classic Gardens. They can treat your lawn for you or tell you how to do it yourself.

For more information on Classic Gardens, visit classicgardens.com.



Take it outside!

As our patios and porches are becoming more sophisticated and refined, today’s homeowners are driven to find peaceful sanctuaries as a prescription for their stressful lives. Outdoor spaces can also be an exten-sion of your home, providing you with additional living space.

Creating your perfect outdoor space will be the result of the successful combination of many design elements – landscaping, stonework, carpentry, furnishings, lighting and accessories. Careful pre-planning will be the key to the creation of your personal sanc-tuary, so begin with creating your per-sonal “wish list.” You may be amazed at how long this list might become!

Thinking about incorporating your year round needs. Do you frequently

entertain outdoors? Do you spend time outdoors in the evenings simply relax-ing? Is outdoor grilling a year round requirement for you? Do you enjoy planning simple family meals outdoors?

Once you’ve assessed your needs, then planning your outdoor space becomes much easier. Think about incorporating these simple ideas:1. Comfortable furniture. This should be most important element in your design. Today’s outdoor fur-nishings have been manufactured to withstand all that Mother Nature can bestow. The age of folding, vinyl strapped furniture is definitely over. Many furniture pieces of today look similar to indoor furniture, but have been constructed and designed to stand up to all the outdoor elements.

A comfortable outdoor sofa or swing can be the perfect place for a Sunday afternoon nap! 2. Fabulous fabrics. The biggest name in outdoor fabrics today is Sun-brella. This collection of fabrics is colorful, design oriented, and totally durable. Sunbrella features gorgeous fabrics manufactured to resist fading from ultraviolet rays, mildewing from damp conditions, and odor absorption. It is just the ultimate outdoor uphol-stery or drapery fabric that will be used and enjoyed by your family for years. And of course, Sunbrella Fabrics are carried by Decorating Den Interiors.3. Let there be light. Be sure to con-sider incorporating various types of lighting in your outdoor space design, just as you would inside your home.

Landscape lighting, overhead light-ing, ceiling fans, sconces and deco-rative side table lighting are all great ideas. Develop a creative lighting plan to help you create a space with increased ambiance and functionality. An outdoor fireplace or a firepit can be another great source for ambient lighting…and heat!4. Don’t forget the draperies. Beau-tiful window treatments aren’t just for the indoors anymore. With the outdoor fabrics mentioned above, you can add softness and privacy to your outdoor oasis. From full draperies to pillows to canopies, the sky’s the limit for your outdoor space!

As with your indoor spaces, you want to create an outdoor space that is perfect for you and your family’s

needs. Planning is the most important step in creating your outdoor oasis and this may be a good time to call in a professional to help. A decorator can guide you through the steps and help you select the best products to make your room the perfect place for you to make lasting family memories. At Decorating Den Interiors, we have access to over a dozen outdoor fur-nishings, accessory and fabric vendors that can help you make your outdoor space the room of your dreams, with your ideas, your style and your budget. Call today for your complementary consultation!

For more information, visit laurapurvis.decoratingdens.com or call 620-1945.



The perfect time for chimney repairs

Why is it smart to have your chimney checked/serviced come spring?

If the chimney is checked/cleaned/repaired at the close of season:

} The soot is cleaned out, reducing the acrid smell that lingers throughout the humid summer.

} The fi replace will be ready for the fi rst cold spell with no waiting for an appointment.

} If repairs are needed, spring/summer time are the best time to do masonry and chim-ney repairs as opposed to cold weather and they can be done without the worrying about the impending cold weather needs of the fi replace.

“Time is critical to everyone,” Phillip Batts said. “Do what is necessary when it can be conveniently and with low stress. How unnerving is it when James Spann tells us it

is going to be cold. You call and fi nd that the next appointment is so far off that it makes using your fi replace not so attractive, or to fi nally get an appointment to fi nd something is structurally wrong and you can’t use it until repairs need to be done next spring?” Tell us a little bit about Batts’ Chimney

We are a small business that will only send out certifi ed technicians. We refuse to send out “fl ue-jockeys” that only clean and have no knowledge of safety inspection/remediation. We know our customers want their service when they want it but we cannot compromise prudent practices.

To learn more about Batts’ Chimney Ser-vices, visit battschimneyservices.com or call 956-8207. Visit csia.org/Homeowner-Re-sources/index.aspx for more FAQs on chim-ney service.

Spring has arrived, which means it’s the perfect time to take advantage of your outdoor living space. These areas are a great way to expand your current living space without the major expense of a remodel or addition to your home. One of the most popular outdoor living design trends today is outdoor fi re pits. Outdoor fi re pits are a welcoming gathering place for family and friends throughout fall to spring in central Alabama.

There are several options when consider-ing adding an outdoor fi re pit to you outdoor living area. Similar to adding a pool to your landscape, you need to consider whether to build a fi re pit fl ush to the ground or an above ground pit. Often your decision may be infl u-enced by the topography of your area.

Above ground pits allow for fl exibility in

the design of your fi re pit. A simple copper pit can be purchased at your local home improve-ment store. The more popular design is to uti-lize decorative paving stones or fi re resistant bricks to line the surface of your pit. Often pits utilize a natural gas line to aid in starting the fi res in your pit.

Outdoor fi re pits are an incredibly effi cient way to expand your outdoor living space. Fire pits are great for family gatherings and chil-dren will especially enjoy their benefi ts. Now is the time to consider adding a fi re pit to your outdoor living area so you can maximize the enjoyment of your evenings.

Let LawnCrafter Landscape be your com-pany of choice.

For more, call 979-4142 or visit Call-LawnCrafters.com.

Relax outdoors this spring



Treasure hunt at Attic Antiques and Chelsea Antique Mall

For Cindy Barr and her mother Barbara Manning, antiques are a family affair. Barbara and Howard Manning own Attic Antiques on Cahaba Valley Road and Cindy and her husband Robert own Chelsea Antique Mall on U.S. 280 one mile past Wal-Mart in Chelsea.

Customers are sure to leave both of these antique stores with one of a kind pieces.

Attic Antiques offers gifts for the whole family. They have been family-owned and operated for more than 40 years and offer a large selection of American cherry, pine, and walnut tables, corner cupboards, stepback cupboards, pie safes, oil paintings and quilts. They also offer lighting and accessories for cabins, lodges, and lake houses.

Attic Antiques has a booth in Chelsea Antique Mall. Cindy and Robert bought Chelsea Antique Mall in May 2013. However, the building has been in existence for more than 20 years. The 27,000 square feet business showcases the work of more than 60 dealers.

Cindy greatly enjoys being in the business of rare and fascinating fi nds. It is something she has witnessed since she was a child.

“There is no telling what’s going to come through that door,” said Cindy. “It’s a great opportunity for treasure hunting. I absolutely love it.”

Before walking in to Chelsea Antique Mall, customers will fi nd a gate made out of old tractor parts in the garden out front. Once inside, they will discover everything from vintage to industrial to garden items including farm tables and a multitude of light fi xtures.

Both stores work with local photo stylists and rent-als for photo shoots and are in the process of setting up

wedding and party rentals for one a kind events.For the ultimate treasure hunting experience, Cindy encourages people to visit

Attic Antiques and Chelsea Antique Mall. Come wander around and see what we are all about.For more about Attic Antiques, visit 5620 Cahaba Valley Road, call 991-6887. For more about Chelsea

Antique Mall, call 678-2151.



Find selection and expertise at Hanna’s

When it comes to gardening, you may think you’re all thumbs. And that’s okay – because Hanna’s has the expertise to turn them green.

Now that Spring has arrived, it’s time to get outside – not just for your garden, but for your soul! Nothing quite satisfi es like plant-ing beautiful things and seeing them blossom.

Hanna’s Garden Shop has everything you need to make gardening a great experience – and transform the appearance of your yard, deck or patio.

Their vast selection of annuals, perenni-als, fruit trees and shrubs is unparalleled. From Encore azaleas, hydrangeas, fl ower-ing cherries, dogwoods and crape myrtles, to Japanese maples and shade trees – oaks, elms, river birch and more – Hanna’s offers Birmingham’s best selection, spread over four acres. And their experts can guide you to perfect choices for your landscape.

The shop carries everything you need for a lush lawn, including sod by the piece or pallet, plus soil testing kits and Fertilome applica-tions – to control pests and weeds, and nurture your yard year round! Hanna’s also offers a wide selection of seeds and ground covers.

If Hanna’s sells it, they can deliver it – including landscape rocks! Everything comes straight to your door – healthy and ready to enrich your home and garden.

Hanna’s, the plant savvy garden shop, has a passion for growing things – and they love sharing their expertise. If you’ve got a question, just email them at [email protected] or call 991-2939. Better yet, come on down!

Come for the healthy plants. Come back for the expertise.

Hanna’s Garden Shop is located at 5485 U.S. 280 East. For more, call 991-2939 or visit hannasgardenshop.com

Guaranteed quality clean (or we re-clean for FREE)

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Spring cleaning

Seven years ago, Bill and Marilyn Collier wanted to make a life change that would bring them closer to family and an oppor-tunity to work together. Shortly after, they found Maidpro and knew that the opportunity was right for them.

“We work well together because we respect each other and our individual strengths com-pliment one another,” Marilyn said. “That makes us good working partners as well as good life partners.”

Maidpro provides cleaning services to both residential and small businesses. It offers one time cleans as well as monthly, biweekly and weekly cleaning. With spring around the corner, the Colliers know that customers will soon be ready to freshen up their homes, but some might not have the time to make it happen.

“That’s where we step in!” Marilyn said. “We are here to help get their homes clean, neat and fresh as well as keep them that way.”

Marilyn suggests that when selecting a service, customers should look for one that provides liability insurance, workers com-pensation, background checks and makes sure that each employee is bonded. She also suggests that customers look at Maidpro’s 49-point check list, which provides informa-tion on what services they offer.

“Customer service is very important to us and we want to know how we do each time we go into a customer’s home.” Mar-ilyn said. Maidpro is offering $25 off the second, fourth and sixth cleanings for new customers this spring.

To learn more, visit maidpro.com or call 358-1800.



At Home Furnishings, located on 18th Street in Homewood, carries everything from candles, rugs and tableware to furniture such as beds and sofas.

Over the past 23 years, owner Babbie Stys-linger, who also owns the nearby Three Sheets linen shop, has taken the store from a simple futon retailer to a specialty home goods store that offers items from around the country and around the world. Every year Styslinger travels around the U.S. to Atlanta, Dallas, New York and High Point, N.C., for design markets to find the latest trends. They also have ventured as far as India and China to personally select the best products to bring back to Birmingham.

Store Manager Paige Rouss said that in her more than 15 years with the store, she has seen the trends progress in such a way that she wouldn’t even recognize the store from years past. One reason for this drastic change is the ever-evolving inventory.

Right now she said linen sofas and raw wood furniture is trending, along with gold accents in tables, lamps and accessories.

Around the store, some of Rouss’ favorite items are At Home’s abstract artwork, geodes and crystals on display and the beautiful vases.

“Some people might not be aware that we receive new merchandise every single day,” Rouss said.

This factor alone allows the store to appeal to a wide variety of client tastes and styles.

“I think our favorite part of the business is the

hunt,” Rouss said. “What’s new? What’s trend-ing? What’s exciting?”

Rouss also noted how customers don’t nec-essarily have to buy all new furniture to give a room a new look.

“Throw pillows and throws are a great way to incorporate a pop of color for little cost,” she said. “Also new artwork is a great way to change the feel of a room.”

Not an inch of space goes unused when it comes to displaying goods at At Home — from light fixtures hanging from the ceiling to the cur-tains and artwork donning the lofty walls. At the same time, the store feels like a cozy home ripe for a well-set dinner or a nap on the plush couch.

In recent years, more and more clients are also turning to At Home Furnishings’ extensive inventory as a source for wedding registries. Others who come into the store in search of that perfect piece of furniture are often drawn in by the wide assortment of smaller items, such table toppers and decorative accents. An additional unexpected find in this shop is the selection of jewelry and handbags, which have grown in popularity as the store has grown.

“Our plan for the future is simple — to be the best we can be — to strive to continue to please our customers and be a valuable contributor to the community,” Rouss said.

At Home Furnishings is located at 2921 18th Street South in Downtown Homewood. For more information call 879-3510 or visit athome-fur-nishings.com.

Your one-stop shop for

home décor



Add an accent or antique

Open since 2003, English Ivy offers home décor and unique gifts in a traditional upscale style. The store features a multitude of home accessories such as mirrors, lamps, gorgeous pillar candles, picture frames and furniture.

How do you pick a great accent piece? Furniture makes a house livable, and

accents make a house a home. When deco-rating, the goal is to enhance a room. All of your accent pieces don’t need to be big or bright. Choose boxes, bookends, vases and candles that cater to your personality and taste and just make sure the size is to scale with everything around it.

How can you use antiques to create the perfect atmosphere in a room?

Antiques usually add warmth to any room. Look at using the piece to function for

different needs, such as a small china cabinet or hall tree in a bathroom.

What are the latest trends you’ve noticed?

Neutrals, from rich gray to camel continue to flourish, infused with bold color or as standalone, monochromatic color schemes. Brown continues to be popular but slowly changing from chocolate to lighter browns. Bringing the outdoors in with natural mate-rials and wood. Many customers are adding a little vintage to their traditional look. It may be a tray or picture frame that delivers a desirable look to stay in style with the times but not leave the traditional overall look.

English Ivy is located at 250 Doug Baker Blvd., Suite 100. For more information, visit englishivygifts.com or call 437-9080.

Enjoy a pest-free summer

Greater Birmingham has all the right cli-mate conditions and vegetation to promote a large population of mosquitoes. To help us enjoy the summer and time outdoors, mos-quito elimination and tick control expert, Mosquito Squad, shares these helpful tips and hints on how to stop the spread of annoying and potentially dangerous mosquitoes from surrounding your home, and interfering with your outdoor living enjoyment.

Referred to as “The 5 T’s,” here are five ways Mosquito Squad of Greater Birming-ham suggests how you keep the dreadful pests at bay.

1. TIP: Reduce standing water to elim-inate mosquito threats, including those in children’s sandboxes, wagons or plastic toys; underneath and around downspouts, in plant saucers and dog bowls. Other hot spots include tarps, gutters and flat roofs.

2. TOSS: Remove excess grass, leaves,

firewood and clippings from yards. 3. TURN: Turn over larger yard items

that could hold water like children’s portable sandboxes or plastic toys.

4. REMOVE TARPS: If tarps stretched over firewood piles, boats or sports equip-ment aren’t taut, they’re holding water.

5. TREAT: Utilize a mosquito elimination barrier treatment around the home and yard. Using a barrier treatment at home reduces the need for using DEET-containing bug spray on the body. Mosquito Squad’s barrier treatment eliminates up to 90 percent of the mosquitoes and ticks on a property.

By following these guidelines, you can reduce mosquito bite concerns all summer long.

For more detailed information on stop-ping mosquito bites, visit Birmingham.Mos-quitoSquad.com online or call the office at 380-7755.

visit our website at

www.EnglishIvyGifts.com

437-9080Hwy 280 • Past Hwy. 119 in The Village at Lee Branch

Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10am-6pm



Taking care of the customer

Issis started in Pelham, Ala. in only a 2000 square foot showroom offering carpet and rugs. From the beginning in 1984 to today the philos-ophy is the same, “always take care of the cus-tomer,” as stated firmly by owner Steve Issis.

The foundation of this business is founded on that simple, yet strong principle. With that in the foundation, Issis has grown leaps and bounds to expand the main showroom to 100,000 square feet.

The showroom on Highway 280 was opened in 1999 and is 20,000 square feet. The location is a full service store offering beautiful carpets, rugs, tiles, stone and hardwoods.

A wonderful and exciting addition was added in 2007 to help our customers even more. That addition was Issis & Sons Furniture Gallery in Pelham with a 22,000 square foot showroom.

Managed by Nancy Gowens and a staff of talented professional decorators, the showroom offers all of the above plus a full line of qual-ity fine furniture along with custom bedding & drapery services, accessories and lighting.

This led to the opening of Issis at Greenbrier in 2013 that is managed by Anne Borland and Moeen Chadury, again offering a full line of

quality fine furniture along with customer bed-ding, drapery services, accessories, lighting, rug, carpet, wood and tile. The ultimate goal of all Issis stores is to make our customers happy by providing excellent service, amazing selec-tions and quality products at affordable prices.

For the spring season, Gowens and her staff have noticed several trends making their way into home décor. Most prominently, bold colors that have not been seen in a long time are coming back. Usually mixed with a gray neutral color, many shades of blue and red are adding interesting elements to spaces. Gowens has seen deep lapis, wineberry and marsala, a deep red, making come backs in pieces. Many customers also choose to mix their décor with a touch of gold or silver for more visual interest.

Along with bold colors, strong patterns have also been used in interesting ways to give a unique look to spaces. Though Issis & Sons is adding new lines and is stocked with the latest trends, the store always keeps traditional spaces in mind. Issis & Sons will work with customers to achieve the look that works best for them.

To learn more about Issis & Sons, visit issi-sandsons.com.



Design your dream landscapeDSLD Land Management is a full

service design/build landscape contrac-tor firm. We are a family owned and operated company that strives to meet and exceed the expectations of our cli-ents. During our initial consultation all on site factors are considered from function to form, with special emphasis given to economy and value added work.

DSLD Land Management, Inc. opened its doors in 1983. Today DSLD has built an excellent reputation in landscape construction as a prominent design/build company that services central Alabama. Over the past 30 years DSLD has been recognized and featured multiple times in publications such as Southern Living Magazine and Builder’s Architect Magazine.

DSLD welcomes projects of any scope and size, and stands ready to serve our clients with a full staff of licensed and degreed designers, a full time administrative assistant, and one of the most experienced field service teams in the business.

The teamDavid H. Sharp

Pursing his life-long interest in hor-ticulture and business, coupled with a background in drainage and soil erosion, David Sharp was inspired to create the ideal landscape construction company specializing in residential design and installation. This inspira-tion is now DSLD Land Management, a full service design/build landscape contractor firm founded in 1983.

Soon after graduating from Sam-ford University, David became

interested in applying his background in Geotechnical Engineering and Business Administration to a new course of study in Ornamental Horti-culture. After obtaining the requisite education in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design, DSLD Land Management Co. Inc., was launched.

Over the years David has been a speaker at the Birmingham Botan-ical Gardens, Birmingham Public Library’s Lecture Series, and at var-ious garden clubs throughout the Bir-mingham area. In addition to learning from the environment around him, David has developed a more thorough

understanding of various cultural landscape design applications from his travels throughout Europe and Asia visiting gardens and landscapes in over 20 countries.

David firmly believes in the value of family. Not only does he enjoy his family, but also works to improve the lives of families with at risk children. David volunteers on behalf of foster and adopted children across the country.

Megan A. McNairMegan McNair is DSLD’s newest

team member serving as a Landscape Designer. She is a graduate of Auburn

University with a degree in Landscape Horticulture with an emphasis in Landscape Design.

While obtaining her degree from Auburn University Megan was able to develop a strong foundation in land-scape design. She has advanced train-ing and specializes in software such as Dynascape and ProLandscape.

Megan looks forward to continuing her career with DSLD Land Manage-ment and creating spaces that reflect the lifestyle, purpose and attitude of our projects as well as injecting it with her personal flair.

J. Cole SharpGrowing up alongside his father,

Cole Sharp learned the family business from the ground up. Cole attended Jef-ferson State Community College where he studied Computer Information Sys-tems Technology and Mathematics. In addition to his major courses he took Horticulture courses to enhance his knowledge of the family business.

Today Cole is fully engaged in the day-to-day operations of DSLD; from sales to installation as well as providing technical support.

To learn more, visit dsld.net.

David H. Sharp Megan A. McNair J. Cole Sharp

www.dsld.net205-437-1012

Beautiful Landscape Solutions

Unique and FunctionalCall now and put our sta� of landscape designers and � eld service personnel on your team. We specialize in drainage and erosion work, driveways, retaining walls, steep banks and water features! Please visit our website for more information. We have been bringing quality

and value to Birmingham’s homes since 1983.David Sharp, Owner



They’ve got you covered

Floor Coverings International is the pre-mier mobile flooring franchise and a leader in the home services category with over 100 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

What kind of trends are you seeing right now in hardwoods?

Grays are trending in a big way right now. Dark stains are becoming more popular too. Engineered wood flooring is the new go-to hardwood because it is less expensive than traditional hardwood, is more eco-friendly and easier to maintain.

What about carpeting?According to HGTV, a major shift in car-

peting for 2015 is layered color and soft tex-ture. Soft textures are an obvious choice for most and a combination of texture and pattern is also always popular given it is easier to clean and mask dirt compared to a flat light

colored carpet. If you were going to choose light solid color carpeting, soft beiges and warm grays are the most popular.

Why is spring a good time to update the floors in your home?

Spring is the best time to update your floors because flooring usually accumulates damage, watermarks and salt stains during harsh winter months. It’s best when this happens to replace them promptly after the season. Also, spring is a big renovation time because it’s the perfect balance of humidity and temperature to replace hard woods and do updates on your home. Moisture is a big factor when it comes to the setting process.

Floor Coverings International is located at 2010 Old Montgomery Highway. For more information, call 332-1460 or visit floorcov-eringsinternational.com.

Skelton’s Heating and Cooling

Brian Skelton formed Skelton’s in 2002 in Childersburg with himself and another asso-ciate, and the company has now grown to 17 employees that serve the entire Birming-ham metro area. Their specialty is to provide quick and quality installation, replacement and HVAC repair services to residential and light commercial businesses.

With the growth in their business along the 280 corridor, Brian and his family moved to Highland Lakes and recently opened their offices at 5511 U.S. 280, Suite 127. Now they can provide quicker and faster service to the area and facilitate their goal of same day service.

Skelton’s technicians are “comfort spe-cialists,” a title earned through elite training program for HVAC specialists. They are also trained in Nexia programming to set up home unit controls through customers’ computers and smart phones.

One of Skelton’s biggest achievements is that they are the second largest residen-tial and light commercial Trane dealer in the state of Alabama and the largest dealer in the Birmingham area. Trane is a global provider of heating, ventilating and air con-ditioning (HVAC) systems and building man-agement systems and control. Trane is also involved in energy conservation and renew-able energy projects.

Skelton’s offers a preventative mainte-nance program that offers discounts and special rates for members. Let Skelton’s be your heating, cooling and refrigeration com-pany of choice.

For questions or to schedule a service appointment, call their offices at 991-5878. For emergency after hours, call 256-626-2678.



205-490-6045

www.ezgo.com

E-Z-GO® SPRING SALES EVENT GOING ON NOW!1.9% fi nancing available for qualifi ed buyers.

*Offer available on select models. Offer may vary by model. Offer ends soon. Contact your local dealer for details.

GET UP TO $1,000* OFF.

4647 Hwy. 280, Birmingham, AL 35242205.769.6355

www.diamondgolfcars.com

Installment Promo – 1.9% for 36 Months [2.34% APR*]. $0 Down | 1.9% interest rate | $28.60 per $1,000 Financed. *Example: On a purchase where the Amount Financed is $7,500, your Down Payment is $0 with 36 monthly payments of $215.92 each. Interest Rate is 1.9% [ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE is 2.34% (E)]. For other Amounts Financed, the payment would be approximately $28.60 per $1,000 financed. Note: The above financing programs are offered by Sheffield Financial, a Division of Branch Banking and Trust Company, Member FDIC. Subject to credit approval. Approval, and any rates and terms provided, are based on credit worthiness. Other financing offers are available. See your local dealer for details. Other qualifications and restritions may apply. An orogination fee of $50 will be added to the amount financed in the above example. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Offer subject to change without notice. [“E” means estimate.]. Offers only available in the 50 U.S. states and District of Columbia. See your authorized E-Z-GO dealer or visit www.ezgo.com for details. Offer not valid with any other offer, discount or promotion.© 2015 E-Z-GO Division of Textron Inc. All rights reserved.

Find the right ride

Each spring and summer, warmer weather draws people outdoors to spend time at the lake, beach or in their own neighborhood. At Diamond Golf Cars, the new season brings cus-tomers looking for vehicles to fit their activities and each year the staff is happy to accommo-date them.

Diamond Golf Cars sells, rents and services two, four or six-passenger shut-tles, hunting vehicles, utility vehicles, and street-legal vehicles. Customers can test drive the vehicles and talk directly to facto-ry-trained technicians before buying.

“Most people don’t know exactly what style of vehicle they need,” Dealer Bill Och-senhirt said. “Our wide variety allows them to see all of the choices before purchasing.”

Before purchasing a vehicle, Ochsenhirt said there are several things that customers should consider.

Questions to ask before deciding on a vehicle:

1. How far will you drive the vehicle in a day?

2. How many passengers will it need to carry?

3. How much cargo will it need to carry?

4. What kind of terrain will it be driving on?

5. What kind of safety features does it need?

6. Do you need a vehicle that can be street-legal in Alabama?

Diamond Golf Cars is located at 4647 Highway 280. For more information, visit diamondgolfcars.com or call 769-6355.

Save energy with a better window

The most expensive window you can buy is the one you have today, according to Ernest Jordan. “You’re paying for it every month with higher energy bills.”

By comparison, the EcoView Windows he sells can reduce heating and cooling bills by up to 40 percent. The windows typically pay for themselves in five to seven years.

“After that you get a paycheck in your pocket that would otherwise go to a power bill,” he said.

As the first step in working with EcoView, a salesman will come out free of charge to discuss your project and provide an estimate.

The two most important energy savings home improvements are windows and doors.

EcoView windows are 100 percent made in America, and all are guaranteed for a lifetime. We offer the most energy efficient window made with a proprietary glass system that has 15 layers.

“There’s no one else in town that sells a window that is this energy efficient remotely close to our price point,” Jordan said.

Additionally, we offer completely insulated frames, a Duralite spacer system which is the lowest conductivity of all spacers used, Argon gas, and windows with as many at 25 layers which include six layers of Low-E. It elimi-nates up to 98 percent of the damaging UV rays, which fade fabrics, artwork and wood flooring.

The focus is always on the performance and the client. We can match custom colors and make a variety of shapes and sizes to the customer’s specifications.

“It’s all about the client, it’s not about us,” Jordan said. “Whatever we do, it’s about pro-viding the most we can based on their budget to help that house to perform better.”

To learn more about EcoView Windows of Birmingham, call 490-6045 or visit ecoview-windows.com.



Making your vision come true

Dianne Bake r-C le l l and and Katie Baker Bolton are a mother daugh-ter duo with a different perspective on lamps. They look at things with a critical and very creative eye. Customers are reg-ularly bringing in unusual and sentimen-tal pieces for them to master into works of lamp art. With Dianne and Katie’s com-bined experience and vision, your lamp will be paired with a beautiful shade and fi nial. They make sure the even smallest details are covered.

Baker’s has the best selection of lamp shades in Birmingham. If they don’t have the shade you need, they can most likely get it for you, since they work with the oldest and most creative shade manufacturers in the USA. If you need a lampshade, please bring in your lamp. If not, they will be quick

to tell you, “Buying a lamp shade without your lamp base is like buying a hat without your head.” Like the shade selection, they have some very unique and elegant lamp fi n-ials. In addition to lamps and beautiful bed linens, the store is stocked with a wide selec-tion of candles and reed diffusers and great gifts.

As designers, Dianne and Katie have care-fully created the entire package by pairing their two stores, Baker Lamps & Linens and dwellings, which specializes in unique fur-niture and accessories. They would love for you to come in. It won’t be long before you, too, will be one of their cherished, long-time, very loyal customers.

For more call 981-3330 or visit bakerla-mpsandlinens.com.

2832 Culver Rd • 879.8278 • Mon. - Fri

YOUR LOCAL FABRIC RETAILER&

Sew Sheri is not just a store lined with bolts of fabric.

It is a contemporary fabric, notions, hard-ware, trim and sewing essentials showroom with an open workroom, which also features Dorm Suite Dorm’s custom dorm bedding.

Clients can choose or custom order fabrics for their home design projects. They may also schedule a consultation with a designer who can build on their design ideas and help them create exclusive pieces from our trend setting fabrics.

The store works with clients at every stage of designing. Some are very savvy and already have specifi c ideas about their proj-ects when they come in, and others are home design novices and feel more intimidated

by the process. Sew Sheri’s designers get to know the client, their personality and their specifi c project needs.

In addition, Dorm Suite Dorm offers custom bedding solutions for college stu-dents. Pillows, duvets, bed skirts and curtains are custom made to order and can be person-alized with monograms or Greek letters. The store requires three to four weeks lead time for projects, so the staff recommend placing your order early. Dorm Suite Dorm custom bedding also makes a fabulous graduation gift come May.

Sew Sheri is located at 2832 Culver Road. For more information, visit sewsheri.com or call 879-8278.

A one-stop shop for fabric, interiors and dorms



Woerner offers landscaping and garden retail services

For years, some of Birmingham’s top landscapers and home lawn and garden lovers have regularly shopped at Woerner Landscape Source. But did you know that Woerner also has a friendly and vibrant retail business and expert staff that support local homeowners who are working on large and small projects for their yards?

If you are looking for premium sod, Woerner Landscape Source sets the standard for quality, and has a best-in-class selection that includes Emerald Zoysia, Meyer Zoysia, Bermuda, Centipede and Woerner Classic St. Augustine. Woerner grows a majority of its sod on their very own family owned and operated sod farms. Purchasing Woerner sod is easy because you can

purchase your sod by the piece or by the pallet, and delivery is available making your purchase seamless from selection to home delivery.

When it comes to trees and shrubs, Woerner Landscape Source also offers a huge selection of annual and perennial plants, shrubs, and both small and large trees. Their large selection of plants and efficient quantities in stock will ensure you find what you need for any size project.

Woerner Landscape Source prides themselves on their extensive natural stone selection. The Woerner stone offering comes from all over the country including Colorado, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and North Carolina. The natural stone selection includes river rock, Mexican

beach pebbles, flagstone, fieldstone and much more. Woerner also carries concrete pavers and wall blocks in many different styles. You can also choose from a variety of top quality mulches, top soils, gardening soils and premium longleaf pine straw. Again, delivery is available for everything that Woerner sells.

Whether your project is small or large, Woerner helps provide landscapers and homeowners with the options you need for your project. The Woerner Landscape Source staff is trained and knowledgeable, and can answer your questions and help you make the best selection. Manager Scott Garrett and assistant manager Jim Harper have more than 40 years of experience in the gardening and

landscaping industry. Let them help you with recommendations for the best chemicals and fertilizers to use.

Woerner Landscape Source of Birmingham is located on U.S. 280, tucked in at 10 Greenhill Parkway behind Superior Grill to the rear of A2 Church. If you’re coming from the Chelsea area to get to Woerner Landscape Source, turn right at the first full red light past Home Depot. If you’re coming south from I-459, take at left at the eighth light.

Woerner Landscape Source is open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit WoernerLandscape.com or call 981-4496.

280

Greenhill Parkway

Superior Grill

Residence Innby Marriot

Arium Apartments

A2 Church



We’ve all had them, haven’t we? Days we want to disappear. Days we want to stay in bed.Days we beat ourselves up — again

and again — because we did or said something that was totally and utterly stupid.

Nobody enjoys days like this, but if we’re out there living, taking chances and leaving our house each morning to make a difference in the world, we’re bound to get it wrong sometimes. All of us mess up. All of us sin. All of us come face-to-face with the painful reality that we’re only human, and humans make mistakes.

Admitting a mistake is painful, and it seems to me that we commonly respond in one of two ways. We either dwell on our wrongdoings or ignore them. Neither end of the spectrum is healthy because they prevent us from living our best life possible.

When we dwell on our mistakes, we stop moving forward. We fixate on what we should have done and could have done as if wishing for a different past could change it. And while it’s crucial to examine our mistakes and learn from them so we don’t repeat them, it’s easy to become frozen by fear. It’s easy to fall

into “paralysis by analysis,” deciding to never take another chance again because we’re scared to make another mistake.

The other extreme is to deny our mis-takes, to sweep them under the rug and pretend they never happened. This is harmful for obvious reasons, but one of the greatest dangers is what happens over time when we numb our conscience and awareness of right versus wrong. To lose our ability to recognize our mistakes is a tragedy. It’s a slow death to the soul.

So what is a human to do? How can we deal bravely with our mistakes — and the consequences that result — without self-condemnation, self-hate or self-de-lusion? As Christians, we believe the answer is Jesus. Through His death on the cross, even our biggest mistakes can be redeemed and forgiven. We can look ourselves square in the eye to admit our human failings and desperate need for Him.

God knows we’re not perfect, and through Jesus he offers freedom: free-dom from the past, freedom from lies and freedom from poor choices. If there’s any upside to making mistakes, it lies in their potential to draw us closer to God and His unconditional love because right now

we’re living in an age of mercy. We’re serving a Lord who can bring good from our mistakes once we confess them with a genuinely contrite heart. Even when a situation seems hopeless, God can turn it around. He can rescue us from our pre-dicament so we may then rescue others.

There are big mistakes and small mis-takes, mistakes we get over quickly and mistakes that keep us awake at night. But regardless of our track record, today is a new day. Today is our second chance to make amends and begin living the way God created us to live, which means:

Saying “I’m sorry” to those we hurt. Forgiving those who hurt us. Being honest with ourselves, others,

and God so that even hard truths come to light.

Admitting we’re not perfect, and how that’s a good thing because if we were, we wouldn’t need a savior.

Showing grace and compassion to the mistakes of others.

Doing a fearless moral inventory of our habits and weaknesses so we know where we’re likely to slip.

Seeking help when we keep repeating the same mistakes.

Letting go of grudges.

Facing consequences and paying the price of our mistakes because getting on the right track allows healing and restoration.

Our mistakes don’t overwhelm or surprise God. They don’t mess up His plan for the universe and create chaos in heaven. Even if we mess up big-time, He can redeem the mess. He can turn pain from the past into hope for the future.

We’re only human, and humans make mistakes. And while there’s no joy in messing up, joy can be found in the divine encounters our mistakes lead to, when the radiance of the cross shines light on our darkest moments, remind-ing us of this gift called grace that makes our humanity bearable and inspires us to serve God with a grateful, humble and willing heart.

Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis is a Bir-mingham mom of four girls, columnist and blogger for The Huffington Post. Her first book, 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know, is available on Amazon and everywhere books are sold. Join her Facebook community at “Kari Kam-pakis, Writer,” visit her blog at kari-kampakis.com or contact her at [email protected].

Life Actually By Kari Kampakis

We’re only human, and humans make mistakes

Faith280 LivingC18 • April 2015

Opinion

The warm weather put me in the mood to break ground. This past week I went out to gouge up a spot at the back of the fence with my old tiller.

The beast sprang to life but then coughed and sputtered as if it had mechanical emphysema. I stepped to the shed to fetch my tools and cleaned the spark plug and checked the fuel filters, but when I cranked it again, I got the same result.

I tinkered a while longer and then kicked the tires a couple time just to show it I meant business, but the only thing that started was the pain my toe.

This is not my first planting season, so I felt sure it was afflicted with gum in the carburetor.

Saying my tiller is old is an understatement because Methuselah bought it used from an antique dealer. Before he died, he passed it down to a relative, and it clunked through the millennium from heir to heir to like a bad debt.

I’ve been using my local parts supplier for many years. Some of the parts they stock are marked with hieroglyphics instead of part numbers, so I felt sure they’d have a carburetor for my tiller.

When I walked in this past week and asked for a rebuild kit or a replacement carburetor, the clerk asked for the model of the tiller. When I told him, he tapped a few keys, scratched his chin and scrunched up his face as he looked at the readout on his computer. Experience has taught me that this is never a good sign.

The unspoken response usually means that a replacement part would have to be carved from bone by a retired watchmaker and it would take 18 months to deliver, or that I’d have to donate a kidney to pay for the part. The latter turned out to be the case, so I took my old carburetor and walked out dejectedly.

I brooded about it on the drive home, but I decided to

try a long shot and work on the carb myself. What could it hurt?

So, after coffee I put on my coveralls, fetched my tools and set to work.

I placed the old carb on my workbench and disassembled it. Fortunately, no springs or tiny parts flew out, which is always a plus.

I laid all the pieces on my bench and cleaned them as gently as a newborn baby with sensitive skin.

When I put it back together and reinstalled the carb on the tiller, I had no idea if it would crank or not, but I said the mechanic’s prayer – “Lord, please let this thing crank, or I’ll use it as a boat anchor.” I filled the tank with gas and pulled the crank-cord.

It sprang to life and ran as solidly as the day the cavemen built it. I was so happy that I got pieces of freshly ploughed earth on my teeth from the twirling tines.

It feels good to fix something that I had no idea I could actually fix.

Rick Watson is a columnist and author. His latest book Life Happens is available on Amazon.com. You can contact him at [email protected].

My South By Rick Watson

Driver’s license

Watson


Now Enrolling for Summer and the 2015-2016 School Year

CalendarArea Events

Jan. 30-April 26: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and Their Contemporaries. Birming-ham Museum of Art. Features works by the greatest masters of the Dutch Flemish Golden Age. Visit artsbma.org.

April 4: Art on R Mountain. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Ruffner Mountain Nature Center. Fine art and craft show. Free admission. Call 223-7251.

April 4: Tragic City All Stars vs. Hard Knox Rollers Girls. 7 p.m. Zamora Shrine Temple. Visit tragiccityrollers.com.

April 9-12: Alabama Ballet Presents Ovation. Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre, Alabama School of Fine Arts campus. $25-45. Call 975-2787 or visit alabamaballet.org for tickets.

April 10-11: Samford A Capella Choir Performance. 8 p.m. Alys Stephens Center. Visit alabamasymphony.org.

April 10-12: Birmingham Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale. Friday 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Brookwood Village. More than 100,000 plants will be available for purchase including this year’s gold-themed signature plants. Visit bbgardens.org/springplantsale.

April 10-11: 17th Annual Lebanese Food and Cultural Festival. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church. Free admission. Band, dancing, silent auction and 5K. Visit stelias.org.

April 11: Walk for Autism. 7:30 a.m. Veterans Park. There will be a resource fair, snacks provided by Zoe’s Kitchen, Earthfare and Nola-Ice and activities for children such as face painting and arts and crafts. Prior to the walk will be the 5K Race to Solve the Puzzle. Visit walkforautismal.com.

April 11: Reading, Writing and Rhythms: A Kickoff Event for Birmingham Reads. 3-9 p.m. Avondale Brewery. Raffles and live music featuring Jeremy Moore, Joel Madison Blount, Jordan Teague and The Heavy Hearts.

April 11: 2015 Alabama Asian Cultures and Food Festival. 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Zamora Shrine Temple. $8 for adults, $5 teens, and active duty military, veterans, and college students with ID, free for children 12 and under. Call 903-5569.

April 11: Tempo: A Family Fun Festival. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Crestwood Park. Free.

April 12: Run for a Reason Benefitting Sozo Children. 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Hargis Retreat, Chelsea. Registration is $45. All event proceeds will be used to save or rescue orphans in Uganda, Africa.

April 12: Magic City Sunday Supper. Fifty suppers available for pick-up or home delivery. Supper costs $500 with two VIP supper packages costing $3,000. Visit magiccitysupper.com.

April 16: Chasing Dreams: African Americans and the Perpetual Pursuit of Voting Rights. 7 p.m. Birmingham Civil Rights

Institute. A public lecture by Dr. Charles McKinney, associate professor at Rhodes College.

April 16: Rivals for Wishes: Foes for a Year, Friends for a Night. 5:30-10 p.m. Regions Field. Make-A-Wish Alabama brings Auburn and Alabama Athletics together for Football Feud. Visit alabama.wish.org.

April 17: Birmingham Reads Book Drive. 4 a.m-6:30 p.m. Brookwood Village. Donate new and gently used children’s books that will be distributed to students through Better Basics’ programs. Visit betterbasics.org.

April 18-May 3: 2015 Decorator’s Showhouse. The Upton Estate in Vestavia Hills. Visit alabamasymphony.org.

April 18: Mountain Brook Art Association Spring Art Show. 9-4 a.m. Crestline Field. Original paintings from local artists for sale. Live jazz band and food vendors. Visit mountainbrookartassociation.com.

April 18: The Episcopal Place Gumbo Gala. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Regions Field. Forty gumbo cook teams will cook and serve gumbo. Live music by Rollin’ in the Hay, children’s activities and vendors selling theme-related Alabama products. $12. Visit gumbogala.com.

April 18: Curtain Call Ball. 5-8 p.m. Birmingham Children’s Theatre. Family of Four: $125 Individual, Adult: $50, Individual Child: $25. Visit bct123.org.

April 19: H.T. Chen and Dancers. 3 p.m. Leslie S. Wright Fine Arts Center-Samford University. $20 reserved, $15 general admission. Visit samford.edu/wrightcenter/.

April 24-26: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Barber Motorsports Park. $15. Children 12 and under free with a ticketed adult. Visit barbermotorsports.com.

April 24: Tails in the Trails. 6:30-10:30 p.m. Birmingham Zoo. Early bird tickets, $15 through March 31, $20 April 1- April 23, $25 at the door. Visit birminghamzoo.com.

April 24-25: Gardendale Magnolia Festival. Friday 5-10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Gardendale Civic Center. Free admission and parking. Live entertainment, vendor booths, carnival, eating contests and more. Visit magnoliafestival.org.

April 24-26: Magic City Art Connection Art Bash. Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Linn Park. Free festival admission. Corks and Chefs: Food and Wine Tasting Event: $30 advance $35 at the door. Visit magiccityart.com.

April 25: Jubilee Joe’s Crawfish Boil. 1:30-10:30 p.m. Venue 31, Pelham Event Center. 3050 Lee Street. Visit jubileejoes.com.

April 25-26: Bargain Carousel. Friday 3-7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Sunday 15 p.m. Prices vary by day. Call 879-9861 or visit bargaincarousel.net.


205-991-9997

8040 Hugh Daniel Drive, Birmingham, 35242

(Located within Hugh Daniel Park)

We accept CareCredit & all major credit cards

RevitalizewithDaniélCalleganReevesCosmeticDentistry

www.ToddReevesDMD.com

Creating Confi dent Smiles

205-305-7222

Family Dentistry

Durathin Veneers

Dental Implants

In Office Crowns and Fillings

Clear Correct Invisible Braces

Sleep Apnea/Snoring Solutions

TMD/TMJ

Botox and Restylane Injections

Chemical Peels

Dermaplaning

Crystal Free Microdermabrasion

Eclipse Micro-Needling

Customized Facials

Acne Treatments

Brow Waxing

Lash & Brow Tinting

Daniél Callegan, Esthetician Dr. Todd Reeves D.M.D

Calendar280 Events

April 3, 5: Birmingham Kennel Club Dog Show. 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Shelby County Exhibition Center. Visit birminghamkc.org.

April 4: Krispy Kreme Doughnut Dash. 8 a.m.-noon. Veterans Park. Proceeds will benefit Children’s of Alabama. Visit k2d2fun.com.

April 4: Easter Egg Hunt. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Oak Mountain State Park. Age 5 and under at 11 a.m., age 6 and up at 1 p.m. Visit alapark.com.

April 10: Relay For Life. 3:30 p.m.-midnight. Spain Park High School Jaguar Stadium. Visit relayforlife.org.

April 11: Walk for Autism and 5K Race. Race 7:30 a.m. Walk 9:30 a.m. Veterans Park. $30 before day of race, $35 on race day. Visit walkforautismal.com.

April 11: Tranquility Trail Run. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Oak Mountain State Park. Visit alapark.com.

April 11: Mt Laurel Spring Festival. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mt Laurel. Food, crafts, vendors, live music, fresh fruits and vegetables, kids’ activities and more. Visit mtlaurel.com.

April 12: Sozo Children Run for a Reason. 3:30 p.m. Hargis Retreat Center, 928 Hargis Drive, Chelsea. Feb. 16-April 11

registration $45, walk-up registration $60. Includes race entry and T-shirt. Visit sozochildren.org.

April 18: PurpleStride Birmingham 2015. 7-11 a.m. Veterans Park. Event support pancreatic cancer. Visit purplestride.kintera.org.

April 22: Tablescapes Luncheon. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Metropolitan Church of God. Volunteer decorators will turn each table into an elaborate theme. Call 795-4448.

April 25: Feast of Saint Mark Italian Food Festival. Mass 3 p.m., food and entertainment 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Saint Mark the

Evangelist Catholic Church, 7340 Cahaba Valley Road. Visit feastofstmark.com.

April 25-26: Bargain Carousel. 3-7 p.m. Saturday. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Old Princeton-Hoover Location. 2467 John Hawkins Parkway. Visit bargaincarousel.net.

April 26: Diabetes Walk for Camp Seale Harris. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Veterans Park. Visit firstgiving.com/9619/diabetescampwalk-Birmingham.

May 2: Celebrate Hoover Day. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Veterans Park. Annual citywide event. Free to the public. Visit hooveral.org.


Fresh flowers, plants and more will be available at the Mt Laurel Spring Festival on April 11. Photo by Madoline Markham.

Celebrate Hoover Day provides activities for the whole family. Photo by Keith McCoy.

Mondays: Tai Chi. 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Mondays: Mah Jongg. 9:30 a.m.-noon.

Mondays: Canasta. 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Tuesdays: Bible Study. 11 a.m.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: Lunch. Noon.

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Aerobics. 10

a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on Tuesdays, 10:15 a.m. and 11:10 a.m. on Thursdays.

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Bingo and Board Games. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Wednesdays: Bridge. 9 a.m.-noon.

Fridays: Zumba Gold. 9-10 a.m. No class on April 3.

Fridays: Intermediate Line Dancing. 10-11 a.m. No class on April 3.

Fridays: Beginning Line Dancing. 11 a.m.-noon. No class on April 3.

April 3: Center Closed for Good Friday.

April 8: Trip to Hyundai in Montgomery.

April 16: Becky with Harrison Regional Library.

April 21: Biscuit Bash.

April 23: March Birthday Celebration.

April 24: Heardmont Dance. 6:30-9 p.m.

April 28: Picnic on the Porch and Karaoke with Pat.

Heardmont Senior Center Events

Mondays: Next Chapter Book Club/ Greystone Chapter. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Weekly opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to read and learn together.

Tuesdays: Farmstand. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Chilton County’s Boozer Farms will offer fresh, local produce and other fresh food.

Wednesdays: Breastfeeding Support Group. 10 a.m.-noon. Moms will meet with a lactation consultant and network with other breastfeeding moms.

April 4: Lupus Support Group. 10 a.m.-noon. This month’s topic is Coping with Lupus with Kay Ashworth. Free. Call 1-877-865-8787.

April 6-10. Scale Back to Alabama Weigh Out. 6 a.m.-8 a.m. Statewide weight loss contest designed to encourage Alabamians to get healthy with encouragement from your team member and online module. Visit scalebackalabama.com.

April 14: Blood Pressure/Body Mass Index Screening. 8-11:30 a.m. A representative will screen for blood pressure and BMI in the front entrance. Free.

April 17: Breakfast with the Expert: Progressing Toward Functional Movement and Balance. 8-9 a.m. Joseph Gray, a fitness specialist, will explain how functional movement exercise can help people of all fitness

levels with daily activities. Call 408-6550.

April 18: SuperSitters. 10 a.m.-noon. Class will focus on a wide range of topics including childcare, responsibility, discipline and more. $25. Call 939-7878.

April 18, 25, May 2, 9: After the Baby. 9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Grace Perry, RDN will lead new series on caring for a new baby and yourself. $50. Call 408-6550.

April 22: Stress Relief Day. All Day. Take advantage of several opportunities in the facility to make your day less stressful.

April 23: Medicare Educational Meeting.

10 a.m.-noon. Blue Cross/Blue Shield will hold a meeting to inform customers about senior products. Call 888-346-1946.

April 23: Individual Insurance Products. Noon-2 p.m. Blue Cross/Blue Shield will conduct a meeting to discuss individual products for those under 65.

April 24: Comprehensive Diabetes Education. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Physician’s referral is required and pre-assessments given preceding the class date. Call 939-7248.

April 29: CPR for Family and Friends. 6-8:30 p.m. Learn to perform the basic skills of CPR in adults, children and infants. $20. Call 939-7878.

St. Vincent’s One Nineteen Events7191 Cahaba Valley Road

408-660, onenineteen.com

Calendar

5452 Cahaba Valley Road991-5742


© 2015 Alabam

a Power Company

Safe, affordable, reliable electricity is one form of power we provide, but not the only one. For Turkey Creek Wildlife Preserve, it’s helping preserve our state’s natural wonders. With a little help from Alabama Power to create an effi cient home for Charles Yeager and education center for the state, Turkey Creek Nature Preserve is proving that preservation keeps wonder alive. That’s power to preserve. That’s Power to Alabama.

POWER TO CONSERVE

Charles YeagerManager and Education Director,

Turkey Creek Nature Preserve

Watch the Turkey Creek story at AlabamaPowerRealTalk.com.

POWI-3873 P2Conserve 10x7.5.indd 1 2/17/15 5:39 PM

Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce

1301 County Services Drive

April 1: Ambassadors Work Group. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

April 1: Small Business Work Group. 4-5 p.m. Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

April 8: Existing Business & Industry Work Group. 8:30-9:30 a.m. Barge, Waggoner, Sumner & Cannon, Inc., 3535 Grandview Parkway, Suite 500.

April 10: Health Services Work Group. 8:30-9:30 a.m. Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

April 14: Entrepreneur Roundtable I. 8-10 a.m. Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

April 14: Education Work Group. 8:30-9:30 a.m. Shelby County Instructional Services Center, 601 First Street South.

April 15: Board of Director’s Meeting. 8:15-9:30 a.m. Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

April 16: Quarterly Industry Tour. 9-11 a.m. Barge, Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, 130 Industrial Park Road.

April 16: Membership Reception. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce. No cost. Reserve space by April 14.

April 17: Entrepreneur Roundtable II. 8:30-10:30 a.m. Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

April 21: Go & Grow Workshop “How To Drive Recognition To Results.” 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. Timberline Golf Club, 300 Timberline Trail, Calera. Members $10, non-members $20.

April 23-24: Shelby County Student Career Awareness Fair. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Shelby County Exhibition Center.

April 29: GSCC April Community Luncheon “Student Educator of the Year.” 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Pelham Civic Complex & Ice Arena. 500 Amphitheater Road. Members $20, Future members $30.

Library Events

April 3, 17: Toddler Tales. 10 a.m. Stories, songs, fingerplays and crafts make up a 30-minute program. Ages 36 months and younger. Registration required.

April 3, 17: Storytime with Ms. Kristy. 11 a.m. Stories, music and more for every member of the family. All ages. No registration required.

Special Programming

April 9: Mt Laurel Book Club. 7 p.m. Will discuss An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine.

April 11: Craft Saturday. 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Make a craft at the library during the Spring Festival. All ages with a parent’s help.

April 11: Friends of the Mt Laurel Library’s Used Book Sale. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sale will run during the Spring Festival.

April 16: Container Gardening. 1 p.m. Urban Regional Extension Agent Sallie Lee will discuss growing vegetables and plants when you don’t have enough space for a full-fledged garden.

April 16, 23: Real to Reel. 12:30 p.m. Documentary film series with films chose by March’s attendees. Bring lunch and the library will provide lemonade, coffee and dessert.

Calendar

April 2: Spring Break Movie. 1 p.m. Watch a new release movie and eat popcorn. All ages. No registration required.

April 3: Lego Build. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Make your own Lego creations. All ages. No registration required.

April 4: Easter Egg Hunt. Ages 4 and up at 10:30 a.m, babies to 3 years old at 11 a.m. Refreshments, special prizes and a visit from the Easter bunny.

April 6, 8: Newbery Pie Book Club. Monday 6 p.m., Wednesday 1 p.m. Talk about Newbery books and eat some pie.

April 14: Pete the Cat Book Club. 4 p.m. Stories, games, groovy crafts and snack. All ages.

April 15: Homeschool Hangout: Shelby County Sheriff’s K-9 Officer. 1 p.m. Narcotics K-9 handler Deputy Rufus Williams will join us this month. Age 7-13.

Story Times

April 6, 13, 20: Toddler Tales. 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Stories, songs, fingerplays and

crafts make up a 30-minute program. Ages 19-36 months. Registration required.

April 7, 21: Baby Tales. 9:30 a.m. A story time designed especially for babies and their caregivers. Birth to 18 months. Registration required.

April 1, 8, 15, 29: Mr. Mac. 10:45 a.m. Stories, puppets and lots of music for every member of the family. No registration.

April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30: PJ Story Time. 6:30 p.m. Come in PJs, have milk and cookies and hear some wonderful bedtime tales. All ages.

Teens

April 3, 17: Gaming. 3:30-5:45 p.m. Play games on the Wii, Xbox one or with board and card games.

April 14: Anime Night. 6 p.m. The audience will pick an anime to watch.

April 20: Minecraft @ the Library. 3:30 p.m. Show off your Minecraft skills. Bring a laptop if you are able.

North Shelby Library

Mt Laurel Public Library


“An alternately amusing and inspiring trip from the top of the pro tennis barrel to the bottom—and back again.”

-Peter Bodo of Tennis magazine

Little Professor Book CenterHomewood, 2-4 p.m., signing

By Joe Samuel Starnes Appearances on Saturday, April 25

www.breakawaybooks.com

Hoover Public Library10:30 a.m., reading and discussion

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280 Living April 2015