By Ingrid Howard In addition to Christmas trees, lights and wreaths, Town Village Vestavia Hills has another decoration for residents to enjoy, and this one can last year-round. On some of the windows in the independent living community hang stained glass creations made by hand in Ron Vander Shaaf’s third-floor apartment. He learned that the price for a two-bedroom apartment … [Read more...]
‘Shining Time’ : John Baumgartner Relished His Professional Baseball Career
By Rubin E. Grant John Baumgartner walked into the home team clubhouse at historic Rickwood Field on a late November morning and immediately looked at a picture hanging above some lockers. The picture showed former Birmingham Barons legend Walt Dropo swinging a bat. Dropo and Baumgartner were teammates with the Detroit Tigers in 1953, but it wasn’t Dropo at the plate that … [Read more...]
Bringing Joy to the Food World: Hop Aboard Comedienne Joy’s Party Bus for a Culinary Adventure
By Donna Cornelius Her real name is Cassandra King. But she’s better known by another name by her many friends and fans who have ridden her party bus, watched her TV show and gotten dining tips from her video blogs. She’s Comedienne Joy – and she has her finger in quite a few pies. Joy, as she likes to be called, appears on WABM TV every Saturday at 11 a.m. As the host of … [Read more...]
Faith Journey: BMA’s ‘Embodying Faith’ Follows Images of Jesus Throughout Centuries
By Emily Williams Just in time for Christmas, the Birmingham Museum of Art will be debuting a new exhibition focusing on images of Jesus Christ. “Embodying Faith: Imagining Jesus through the Ages,” presented by Altec Styslinger Foundation, will arrive at the BMA on Dec. 8, showcasing 30 works of art that depict Jesus. The exhibit runs through April 22. The artwork on display … [Read more...]
Farewell, Elton John: Hoover Super-Fan Prepares for Her Final Elton John Concert
By Ingrid Howard Back in the ‘70s, when Lynn Thomas was a student at Homewood High School, she could buy a record with $5 that she made from babysitting. When she spent her babysitting money on Elton John’s 1974 album Caribou, it changed her life. She already was familiar with two of the singles on the album from listening to John on her car radio. “But I played the second … [Read more...]