Story By Donna Cornelius • Photo by Lee Walls Jr. Southern architecture typically means graceful proportions, classic details – and a great big front porch. The Johnston-Clark Estate, this year’s Decorators’ ShowHouse, doesn’t disappoint in any of these categories. And Blackjack Gardens has made sure that the wide front porch, which runs the length of the house and turns the … [Read more...]
Gracious Living: Plantation-Style House Is This Year’s Decorators’ ShowHouse
Story By Donna Cornelius • Photos By Lee Walls Jr. For more than 40 years, the Decorators’ ShowHouse has been a spring highlight in Birmingham. Those who rarely miss the Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s event are accustomed to seeing a showstopper of a house with creatively designed rooms and expansive grounds. This year’s ShowHouse, the Johnston-Clark Estate, is no … [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...]
Royal Family: King Bill Bowron Has Deep Ties To the Beaux Arts Krewe
By Donna Cornelius Bill Bowron has gone from being a “new boy” to Krewe King. Bowron was invited to join Birmingham’s Beaux Arts Krewe shortly after he returned to his hometown in 1991. He’d been living and working as a banker in Savannah, Ga., before moving back to Birmingham to join his family’s company, Red Diamond. “The year I became a member, there were six ‘new boys,’ … [Read more...]
Surpassing Expectations: Polls Reflect Another Strong Year for OTM Basketball
By Lee Davis Do you think it’s just another routine year for Over the Mountain basketball? If you do, it might be a good idea to take another look. Spain Park’s stunning 66-62 upset of Mountain Brook in boys play last week is a sign that something special may be brewing. The Jags’ win not only ended the Spartans’ amazing 38-game home winning streak, but also offered evidence … [Read more...]