By Madoline Markham KoonceTwenty years ago, what is now Red Mountain Theatre was a timeworn organization on the brink of bankruptcy with one staff member. Today, it has a staff of more than 40 with an annual budget nearing $6 million and a $30 million Arts Campus occupying a whole city block in downtown Birmingham.“That’s nonprofit magic,” said Keith Cromwell, RMT’s … [Read more...]
Packed With Flavor: Les Dames’ Champagne & Fried Chicken Event Is an Upscale Picnic
By Donna CorneliusThe Birmingham chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International is once again taking picnics to a whole new level with Champagne & Fried Chicken, the group’s annual fundraiser.Set for Sept. 29 at Birmingham’s Pepper Place, the event stars Southern-fried chicken produced in partnership with Jack’s Family Restaurants. There’s also a vegetarian option: … [Read more...]
Want to Appreciate the Arts? Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
Over the past few years, I’ve become what you might call a serial failure in a number of art forms. First, there was dance. When my daughter’s dance company choreographed a parent routine for its end-of-the-year recital, my daughter encouraged me to participate. I considered myself a pretty decent dancer in high school, so I thought, “Why not?” By the end of the first … [Read more...]
Family Affair: Hoover’s Durban Making Her Own Mark on the Volleyball Court
By Rubin E. GrantThere was never any doubt Hoover senior Sydney Durban would become a volleyball player.Her mother, Michelle Durban, played at Indiana, coached at the high school and collegiate level and now works in the Samford athletics department.Her sister, Aly Durban, who is four years older, was a star player at Hoover and played a year at Samford before … [Read more...]
A New Gathering Place: Houses, Condos and Townhomes Will Be the Next Chapter for the Shades Valley Presbyterian Church Property
By Madoline Markham KooneBy the end of August, the white church steeple that’s been on Montevallo Road as you enter Mountain Brook Village since 1953 will no longer be towering into the sky. The upcoming demolition of the Shades Valley Presbyterian Church’s Colonial-style brick building will bring the end of an era, but it’s also paving the way for a new … [Read more...]