By Sam Prickett It took a once-in-a-generation event to convince him, but Smith’s Variety owner Jim Glazner has decided against selling the iconic Mountain Brook toy store. Aug. 21’s solar eclipse was the deciding factor for Glazner, who had been planning to sell the store after his mother, Mary Anne, passed away in April. Mary Anne had run the store since the death of her … [Read more...]
Back For More: Volleyball Coach Returns to Re-Establish Her Legacy
By Blake Ells Mandy Burgess returned to Vestavia Hills for her second stint as the head coach of the girls volleyball team last year. She led the team from 1999 to 2012 before hanging up her whistle to focus on her family. When the position opened back up in 2016, she couldn't fight off the itch to return. "The opportunity came back up and I was approached,” she said. “There … [Read more...]
Harvard Men: Spain Park’s Henze Joins Two Other OTM Players on the Crimson Team
By Blake EllsThree players for the 2017 Harvard Crimson football team have roots Over the Mountain: freshmen Doug Henze from Spain Park and Ben Abercrombie from Hoover, who had a bit of a rivalry going, and senior Tristan Tahmaseb from Vestavia Hills.For Henze, recruitment escalated quickly following the Alabama- Mississippi All-Star Game, and he knew that the … [Read more...]
The Forty Year Plan: Vestavia’s Buddy Anderson Reflects on the Past But Looks to the Future
By Blake Ells Buddy Anderson still remembers the night his life’s path became clear to him. It was Jan. 12, 1968, and he was sitting in his father’s old pickup that he had driven to play in a high school basketball game. “It wasn’t completely overcast, but there were clouds,” he recalls, as if the date nearly 50 years ago were yesterday. “I had been struggling with … [Read more...]
Exploring Good Eats: This Year’s Birmingham Restaurant Week Is Bigger Than Ever
By Donna Cornelius Russell Hooks has learned it’s wise to pace himself during Birmingham Restaurant Week. He and his wife, Amber, are the founders of Happenin’s in the ’Ham, which uses multiple media platforms to spread news about Birmingham events and activities. They’re also two of the official BRW bloggers. That means from Aug. 11-20, when the annual culinary affair is in … [Read more...]