By June MathewsKathleen Claybrook has been around horses her whole life. She had a horse of her own growing up, and she credits horseback riding with helping her shine as a youngster.“It gave a small kid like me the opportunity to be athletic,” she said.For the past 24 years, Claybrook’s horsemanship has served her well as the executive director of Special … [Read more...]
Lemonade for Luisa: Vestavia Hills Family Raising Money to Cure Rare Disease
By Sarah KuperOn April 22, a little girl will have a lemonade stand in her Vestavia Hills yard.But this won’t be your average lemonade stand, just like 4-year-old Luisa Morlandt isn’t your average little girl.Diagnosed a few months shy of her second birthday, Luisa has Rett Syndrome. Her lemonade stand, which will include games for kids and offer arts and goods for … [Read more...]
Culinary City: Why Homewood Is Such a Hot Spot for Restaurants
By Donna Cornelius Birmingham is the Magic City. Huntsville’s proud of being the Rocket City. And Union Springs is known as the Bird Dog Field Trial Capital of the World (bet you didn’t know that). Homewood doesn’t have an official nickname. But if it did, “Culinary City” wouldn’t be a stretch. Zomato, a restaurant search and discovery service, lists 172 restaurants in … [Read more...]
Back in the Saddle: Mountain Brook Woman Finds Her Calling After Carpool
By Sarah Kuper By her own admission, Joy O’Neal had no horse sense. “I never rode a horse growing up. I never even touched a horse until one of my kids wanted to take riding lessons,” she said. But now, the Birmingham native is the founder and executive director of The Red Barn, a therapeutic equine riding center in Leeds.A self-proclaimed “barn mom,” O’Neal is using … [Read more...]
Worlds Away: Long-Time BMA Patron Revisits Collection and Reconnects with Curator
By Emily Williams At 104 years of age, Helen Hudgens has traveled the world collecting art and experiences. But for her wish of a lifetime, she stayed closer to home. On March 10, Hudgens visited pieces of her own art collection that she donated to the Birmingham Museum of Art and her old friend, senior curator Dr. Donald Wood.Upon learning that Wood will be retiring … [Read more...]