from the editor
D
ON THE COVER
Did you know that more than 50 languages are spoken in Hoover City Schools? I didn’t until I started working on an article on a Diversity Literature Initiative in Hoover City Schools for this issue, a fact that drove home the importance of the initiative working to make sure students are reading books that both reflect their cultures and expose them to new ones. One of our other stories in this issue, on La Sabrosita Ice Cream Shop on Lorna Road, covers the Mexican roots of its owners and the international flavors on its menu, and has me wanting to try their guava popsicle and lychee bubble tea. But that still only accounts for one of those 50 languages. I’m just one person with one set of connections, so I’d love to hear from you, our readers, about any ideas for stories you have to better cover the diversity in our city. Feel free to email me any time with suggestions you have! As for this issue, there are lots of stories I’m excited to share with you in addition to those two. If you’ve driven down Sanders Road anytime since the 1960s, you know the pastoral Smith Farms property and have likely wondered what will be happening to it since the Smith family sold it a couple of years back. A new neighborhood on part of the property is still in the works, but in this issue we take you on a tour of one of its homes that will remain and its new renovations. Be sure to give it a read to learn about the renovation and the history of the property as told by a member of the Smith family who grew up there. Amy Ferguson’s account of how golf got us through a pandemic— complete with commentary on her husband’s basement golf simulator— is sure to make you laugh and ring true if you know anyone who lived that story over the past year. And I can’t forget our cover story on not just a new art teaching studio, Art & Soul, but also the story of the artist behind it. Last but certainly not least, we have tallied all your votes and are unveiling the winners of our annual Hoover’s Best contest. Check out what restaurants, retailers and more took home the awards, and while you are at it, make note of any local business you want to try out. Best wishes for a joy-filled summer around Hoover! See you at Free Friday Flicks or the Ross Bridge Farmers Market?
Imaginative Freedom
Amy Anderson teaches art students in her studio, Art & Soul, off Shades Crest Road in Bluff Park. Photo by Kathryn Bell Design by Kimberly Myers
madoline.markham@hooversmagazine.com
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