December 2025 | Volume 19 | Issue 2
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Building magic
Viral Santa hat sets off a new era of creativity in Griffin Park
Construction workers make progress on upgrades to reinforce the Lake Purdy Dam on Nov. 13. Photo by David Leong.
Lake Purdy Dam project expands with new safety tests, higher insurance limits
By EMILY REED
W
hen Will and Stacy Stuart decided to put a massive homemade Santa hat on their roof in preparation for Christmas, the concept went viral. “We decided we wanted to put something on our roof last year in addition to the decorations we already had been putting up in previous years,” Stacy Stuart said. “Will had the idea to do a Santa hat that went on our roof so he custom built the hat. Our neighbors filmed him. They had been seeing him work on it for weeks. So they uploaded the video to TikTok, we went to bed, and woke up the next morning with 10 million views on the video in less than 24 hours.” The video has now garnered more than 22 million views since it was originally posted. “We just couldn’t believe it when we first saw how many people had seen the video and shared it,” Stacy said. “People we knew were calling us saying, ‘Hey we saw the Santa hat on your roof.’ We even had people from various parts of the country reach out to us to ask about where we were located and could they come see it in person. It was just crazy.” The custom-built Santa hat was a labor of love for Will Stuart, the main mastermind behind the family’s Christmas displays. The hat was made out of various materials — including deco mesh, which Will hand stitched — plus conduit and PVC pipe.
See SANTA HAT | page 28
By TIM STEPHENS
Will and Stacy Stuart created a massive homemade Santa hat to go on their roof in 2024. When a neighbor filmed the process of the hat being installed on the roof and uploaded it to TikTok, the video went viral. Photos courtesy of the Stuarts.
Construction continues on a $28 million rehabilitation project at Lake Purdy Dam, where Central Alabama Water officials have added new safety tests and increased liability insurance for the 115-year-old structure. Lake Purdy Dam is undergoing structural reinforcement in Phase 1 of the long-term project, which includes installing roller-compacted concrete to strengthen the existing structure. The reservoir serves as a primary drinking water source for communities across the Birmingham metro area, including Hoover, Vestavia Hills and surrounding areas. “Lake Purdy Dam is a historic structure, and this project presents a generational opportunity to ensure it serves our customers for decades to come,” said Phillip Wiedmeyer, vice chairman of the Central Alabama Water board and a retired engineer.
Will Stuart spends time tweaking changes to the custom-built Polar Express train and a North Pole mailbox.
INSIDE
Sponsors.................. 4 Schoolhouse............ 6
Business..................10 Real Estate.............12
Events......................14 Sports......................18
See LAKE PURDY | page 30
Community............24
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FOCUS Act
Hoops Preview
Statewide law aims to curb classroom distractions.
Local teams hit the hardwood for 2025-26 season.
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