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Neighborly news & entertainment for Hoover
Honoring heroes
Volume 2 | Issue 10 | July 2014
July 2014 •
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Preserving a piece of the past
Historic neighborhood to celebrate 50th anniversary By REBECCA WALDEN
The Hoover Senior Center will pay tribute to American heroes at Red, White, Blue and You, a patriotic salute on July 2.
See page 15
Standout students
The Hoover Arts Alliance recognized their 2014 scholarship winners at awards assemblies held at Hoover and Spain Park High Schools.
See page 19
INSIDE City .....................5 Business ............8 Food ...................10 Community .......14
School House ....22 Sports .................26 Calendar ............30
Well-loved neighborhoods don’t happen by accident. Just ask Eileen Lewis, co-chair of the Monte D’Oro 50th anniversary committee and a homeowner in the community for the past 22 years. “Hoover is getting older,” said Lewis, who grew up in Avondale and has followed that area’s evolution with interest. “If we want our community to prosper in the future, that goes hand in hand with maintaining our neighborhoods and making sure these areas don’t fall into decline.” Lewis’s co-chair, Susanne Wright, agrees. “We are working closely with the city of Hoover and the Hoover Historical Society not only to mark the occasion of our 50th anniversary, but also to encourage other neighborhoods in Hoover to preserve themselves.” Wright, who grew up in the Roebuck area, is walking her talk. She purchased her first home in Monte D’Oro in 1973, and returned after a job transfer brought her back to Birmingham from Huntsville. Over the course of the past four decades, Wright has lived in three different properties within Monte D’Oro, and she’s renovated every one. The 158-home community will officially achieve golden anniversary status on July 24 this year. Celebrations will be held July 27, with festivities planned for 2-4 p.m. in the pavilion area of Aldridge Gardens. Fifties band The Kool Kats will perform for guests and cake and ice cream will be served. The event is open to all Monte D’Oro
The Norris family stands in front of a Monte D’Oro neighborhood sign welcoming a new addition to the family. The neighborhood will celebrate its 50th anniversary in July. Photo courtesy of the Monte D’ Oro Neighborhood Association.
residents — both current and former — as well as invitees from the Monte D’Oro Neighborhood Association. This past spring, the neighborhood was
honored by the Hoover Historical Society, which selected the development as the site of its 2014
See MONTE D’ORO | page 28
Freedom Fest returns to the Met Hoover residents are invited to the celebration of the summer. On Friday, July 4, the city will host the second annual Freedom Fest at the Hoover Met, a free event for the community to gather and celebrate Independence Day. The festival includes a car show, kids zone, live entertainment and a fireworks show. Live entertainment will begin at 6 p.m., and the lineup features The Onlys, the Rhett Walker Band and Ryan Kinder. The ZOOperstars will provide entertainment between musical acts. The Onlys are a local seven-piece band that started in 1980 while band members were in high school. Rhett Walker of the Rhett Walker Band is a rising young Christian musician who was raised in the South. Ryan Kinder is a Hoover native, currently on a nationwide tour promoting his debut single, “Kiss Me When I’m Down.” “This event is a time for our community to come together to celebrate Independence Day in a safe
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Guests can enjoy live entertainment at the second annual Freedom Fest. Photo courtesy of city of Hoover.
See MET | page 28