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February 2025 | Volume 12 | Issue 10
SERVING VESTAVIA HILLS, THE 280 CORRIDOR, HOMEWOOD, HOOVER, MOUNTAIN BROOK AND TRUSSVILLE
VESTAVIA HILLS’ COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE VESTAVIAVOICE.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM
Pickle! Excitement grows for new pickleball complex on US 31 By LOYD McINTOSH
T
he Picklr, a much-anticipated indoor pickleball complex on U.S. 31 in Vestavia Hills, is nearing completion. The 28,000-square-foot facility, housed in the former Sprouts Farmers Market, is set to open in March, the owner said. The Vestavia Hills location will be The Picklr’s first in Alabama and will feature 10 courts, a pro shop and a restaurant. It will also host local pickleball leagues, tournaments and professional events. Pickleball enthusiasts say the new complex can’t open soon enough. Word of The Picklr coming to Vestavia Hills spread quickly through the pickleball community after the October announcement.
See PICKLEBALL | page 30 Vestavia Hills residents play pickleball at Wald Park. The new indoor Picklr facility hopes to entice many of the area’s residents. Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
Journey to Miss America: Vestavia Hills native Abbie Stockard talks about being ‘authentically Abbie’ By JON ANDERSON
Miss Alabama 2024 Abbie Stockard takes a walk as the new Miss America 2025 in Orlando on Jan. 5. Photo courtesy of Houston M Photography.
Abbie Stockard never competed in beauty pageants or scholarship competitions growing up. Although she watched the Miss America competition with her mother and sister over the years, she never imagined she would one day hold the title herself. So when the 22-year-old Auburn University student from Vestavia Hills heard her name called and felt the crown placed on her head in Orlando on Jan. 5, the moment felt surreal. “I entered my first pageant my freshman year of college on a whim,” she said. She took part in the Miss Auburn University competition hoping to earn money to help pay for college. She came in
INSIDE
Sponsors............................. 4 City....................................... 8
Schoolhouse...................... 10 Business............................. 14
third runner-up but also gained determination to keep trying. The next weekend, she participated in the Miss Cahaba Valley competition and won, earning her a spot in the Miss Alabama competition. She was third runner-up her first year in Miss Alabama in 2022, then fourth runner-up as Miss Trussville in 2023, and finally won Miss Alabama in 2024 as Miss Hoover. But Stockard said she believes the key to winning isn’t competing in many pageants. “You win by going in and staying true to your unique and beautiful self, not conforming to what you consider is America’s idea of perfect,” she said.
See MISS AMERICA | page 31
Medical Guide................... 16 Events................................ 20
Sports................................ 22 Community....................... 25 facebook.com/vestaviavoice
A+ Teachers
Medical Guide
Vestavia’s Teachers of the Year, Ann Pickens and Haley Wright, are known for knowledge and heart.
Meet health and wellness professionals in the Vestavia Hills area.
See page 10
See page 16
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