By Rubin E. GrantTim Vakakes did everything in his power to leave the Shanks boys behind when he left his job as head football coach at Jackson-Olin in Birmingham to become Spain Park’s football coach following the 2021 season.Vakakes had known Derick and Dakarai Shanks for several years, watching them play Little League football in Wylam in western Birmingham because … [Read more...]
Once in a Lifetime: John Carroll Is Marking 50 Years Since the School’s Only State Championship
By Rubin E. GrantWhen the Toy Bowl Association, an athletic league sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham, was founded in 1952, no one could have foreseen how it would pave the way for a state championship team two decades later.The Toy Bowl was the first youth football league in Birmingham and turned into a breeding ground of athletes for John Carroll Catholic … [Read more...]
Service Above Self
By Kent HowardWhen I was in elementary school, I wrote our Congressman John Buchanan requesting copies of NASA photographs, I had seen advertised, chronicling the Apollo space program. He responded with a letter, along with a carefully packaged envelope of more than a dozen 8.5 x 11 glossy photographs. My most treasured pictures included the Eagle lunar … [Read more...]
‘Bringing People Together’: First FOOD+Culture Fest Celebrates City’s Great Tastes
By Donna CorneliusBirmingham’s food scene – along with some high-profile chefs – will take center stage this fall. The first FOOD+Culture Festival, set for Oct. 12-15, will celebrate the city’s great tastes along with the traditions and background that make Birmingham a culinary destination.A reveal party last October provided a taste of the event, which is expected to … [Read more...]
‘Signature Park’: Groundbreaking Kicks Off Jemison Trail Project
By June MathewsA groundbreaking ceremony on June 27 officially marked the beginning of a $2.7 million project to make improvements to Jemison Trail. The cost will be shared by the city of Mountain Brook, the Friends of Jemison Park and other donors. City leaders have allocated $1.4 million over the next three years to the project. The Friends of Jemison … [Read more...]