By Rubin E. Grant Chip Hazelrig’s life has been profoundly changed by cancer. Both of his parents died from cancer, as did both of his grandmothers. He’s had a brother and sister battle cancer. One of his daughters is a breast cancer survivor and he himself dealt with melanoma. So when he was asked about his family being honorees for the 2020 Tee It Up Fore Life golf … [Read more...]
Welcome Back: Jan Hunter Takes on One-Woman Show “Love, Linda” for VST 2020-21 Season Opener
By Emily Williams On March 26, Virginia Samford Theatre leaders made the call to cancel the remainder of their 2019-2020 season, not knowing how long it would be before they reopened or whether they would have room for the cancelled shows in their next season. One of those productions, starring Jan Hunter, will now be presented as the season opener. Hunter will return to the … [Read more...]
Thanks for the Memories: Rob and Emily McDaniel’s New Restaurant Aims to Make You Feel at Home
By Donna Cornelius One of Birmingham’s newest restaurants doesn’t have dancing forks and spoons like the ones that sing out the welcome-to-the-table tune in “Beauty and the Beast.” But “Be Our Guest” could be the theme song for Rob and Emily McDaniel’s Helen in downtown Birmingham. Chef Rob’s favorite food memories of his grandmother and her cooking inspired the name of the … [Read more...]
From Border to Border: Homewood Friends Bike 2,700 Miles Through the Wild West During Challenging Road Trip
By Rubin E. Grant With their lives moving in divergent directions, five childhood friends from Homewood decided they wanted to do something together in case they couldn’t for a while. So, on July 12, Adam Westfall, Ian Ross, Thomas Gordon, Willis Wood and Reed Whetstone embarked on an arduous bike ride from the Canadian border below Calgary to the border of Mexico, taking an … [Read more...]
‘My Journey Came Full Circle’: UAB Student Tells Her Own Story, Takes Third in National French Essay Contest
By Shannon Thomason Abby Garver, who is graduating from UAB with degrees in French and Spanish, shared her struggle through mental illness and won third prize from more than 1,000 submissions in a national contest held by the American Journal of French Studies. The journal sought essays on the question, “Why did you start learning French?” Garver, of Hoover, placed in … [Read more...]