By Rubin E. GrantIn the wee hours of the morning on May 19, Jackson Harris and his dad, Jamie Harris, were at Vestavia Hills’ baseball field chatting.It was a celebratory conversation. The Rebels had just returned from a late night at Jacksonville State University, where Jackson Harris, a senior first baseman, had helped his dad, the team’s head baseball coach, bring … [Read more...]
‘Elite Athlete’: Spain Park’s Flannery Earns OTM Softball Player of the Year Again
By Rubin E. GrantAllyson Ritenour just finished her first season as Spain Park’s head softball coach, but her relationship with Jaguars’ star shortstop Katie Flannery goes back longer than that.“I’ve known her since the sixth grade when she was at Berry Middle School,” said Ritenour, who teaches math at Berry and was the school’s head coach before taking over at Spain … [Read more...]
Wedding Flowers Live On: Repurposed Blooms Recycles Beautiful Blossoms
By Anne RuisiLike rice that gets swept up and tossed after a bride and groom get in a limousine outside the church, floral arrangements that grace weddings and receptions often end up in the trash heap.Saving leftover bridal flowers and recycling them into arrangements that bring joy to residents of senior living centers and hospices is a mission for Haley Sly and the … [Read more...]
Cutting a Rug: Dances at Weddings Go Beyond the Box Step
By Anne RuisiWhen Buddy Sharbel took his daughter, Margaret, into his arms in May for the father-daughter dance at her wedding reception at The Club, the tune was anything but traditional.Instead, the Vestavia Hills resident and his daughter jitterbugged to the Bobby Darin classic, “Mack the Knife,” a song about a serial killer, while her brothers John and Charlie cut … [Read more...]
Family Man: Legion FC President Heaps Relishes Being a Dad to His Athletic Children
By Rubin E. GrantAs has become his Father’s Day tradition, Jay Heaps will go into the kitchen Sunday and make fondue to go with the goodies his wife, Danielle, prepares.“I grew up with fondue,” Heaps said. “I love it.”His wife is glad he does because otherwise the cooking is left up to her. “He doesn’t cook any other time,” she quipped.While fondue is … [Read more...]