By Sharon Smith Journey from Palm Springs to the Mediterranean countryside, shop an assortment of gifts and snack on holiday treats – all while traveling less than four miles during the Samford University Legacy League’s Christmas Home Tour, set for Dec. 6. Featuring two homes in Mountain Brook and three in Vestavia Hills, the one-day holiday tour showcases residences of … [Read more...]
Southern Comfort: Joel’s Vestavia Hills’ Chef Arteago Shares Favorite Southern Side Dish for the Holidays
By Emily Williams The late John Egerton, a Nashville writer who helped found the Southern Foodways Alliance, said it best when he wrote: “When the chemistry is right, a meal in the South can still be an esthetic wonder, a sensory delight, even a mystical experience.” The experience he describes in “Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History” is similar to the one diners … [Read more...]
‘Happiness and Joy’: Flower Truck Popping up Around Birmingham Lets Customers Make Their Own Bouquets
By Ingrid Howard For a holiday gift that has a pop of color, the Wild Honey Flower Truck sells seasonal, international flowers by the stem. It makes stops around the Birmingham metro area to give people the opportunity to build a bouquet.“Sharing it with people has been really exciting, just to see people’s reactions,” said Josh Sizemore, who launched the business with … [Read more...]
Sharing the Joy: Retired Florist Makes Common-Sense Magic in Classes at Aldridge Gardens
By Ingrid Howard When Beth White was growing up working at her family’s flower shop in Kentucky, she said she had no intention of making a lifelong career out of it. She just did what she had to do to “get the car” from her parents. But when her husband left the military in 1975, she rethought that position. “I said, ‘Honey, whatever you want to do, I’ll follow you … [Read more...]
Thankful for Community: Vestavia Rallies to Help the City Manager’s Wife, A ‘Newcomer’ Fighting Cancer
By William C. Singleton III At a recent Vestavia Hills football game, Penny Downes, wife of Vestavia Hills city manager Jeff Downes, was talking to a parent about what she hopes to accomplish as she regains her strength from treatments for multiple myeloma and prepared herself for the battle that lies ahead. Penny Downes mentioned that, because her immune system is … [Read more...]