By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

There are so many different ways to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving.

First, you need to find the right bird. Most folks will be going down to their local Publix or Winn-Dixie to pursue the different frozen butterballs. There will be muttered discussions and asides, debates really, about which turkey will be the best on Thanksgiving.

Size is probably what most folks will look at first. Is it better to get a large bird, something you can feast on for days, or a smaller poultry specimen that will take less prep and time to cook? 

Then there’s the consideration of brand. Do you go for the tried and tested factory-raised turkey that has that helpful little plastic thing that pops out when it’s cooked all the way through, or do you venture out to one that’s certified organic and has all the giblets tucked away in the bird’s chest cavity in a little pouch?

Either way, you take a bird home. Put it in the sink to defrost, and then comes the fun part of figuring out how to cook the blasted thing.

This is perhaps the most stressful part of the entirety of Thanksgiving. 

Mostly because everyone and their mother seems to know the “perfect” and “best” way to cook a turkey.

There’s deep frying, brining, smothering in butter, dry rubs, injections and a plethora of other turkey cooking techniques that somehow become more and more elaborate as time goes on.

There’s also the “stuffing debate.” Do you stuff the turkey’s gulet with your tenderly prepared cornbread stuffing, laboriously executed from a Bobby Flay recipe found online and toasted to perfection? Or do you cook the turkey and stuffing separately? 

Or do you just say, “Why are we making stuffing? Does anyone actually eat this stuff? Because I feel like we’re just wasting food at this point.”

This is then usually followed by someone, usually a sibling or parents saying, “Of course we have to make stuffing. You can’t make turkey without stuffing. Why do you hate Thanksgiving?”

And you may want to yell back, “I don’t hate Thanksgiving Mom, but I hate stuffing and if you think it’s so important that we need stuffing then why aren’t you the one making it?”

But by then she’s left the kitchen and you’re just left there alone with headless turkey and half a dozen frozen cornbread muffins that are waiting to be chopped up and turned into stuffing that you just know that no one’s going to eat.

So you take a deep breath and just get back to getting the turkey. Because the turkey is the central dish on Thanksgiving, and it needs to be perfect and delicious.

Of course, inevitably, something goes wrong. There’s a missing spice, someone forgot to buy enough butter to slather the bird with, and the little plastic thing didn’t actually pop out. Regardless, something has gone wrong, and it’s Thanksgiving day, and nobody. Nobody is ever open.

There’s panic. Obviously. Then there’s the desperate search for something, anything, that can fix whatever’s gone wrong. You swap out missing ingredients for whatever weird spices are floating around the very back of your grandma’s spice cabinet. You slather a half-cooked turkey in olive oil, toss it in the oven and just hope for the best. 

I’m not going to admit how often one of these scenarios has happened to me over the holidays. But I will freely say, and with a great deal of convection, that it is possible to cook a turkey that’s deep fried to a crisp on the outside and almost inedibly raw on the inside.

At a certain point you need to know to just throw in the towel, pour a glass of wine and just serve your turkey no matter what sort of horrific state it’s in.

Because ultimately, as much pressure as we put on ourselves to have an awesome, delicious turkey on Thanksgiving, it isn’t about that. Thanksgiving is about being with your family and being thankful that you have people around you that you love.

Besides, the side dishes are better anyways.

The post Thanksgiving turkey tribulations appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Lewis Brooks used a giant pair of scissors to cut the blue ribbon at the Oak Mountain High School Performing Arts center during its grand opening—there was only one problem, the scissors wouldn’t cut through the ribbon.

After struggling for just a moment, the scissors finally did their job and cut through the ribbon to an eruption of cheers from the crowd of local students and parents who came to celebrate and support the newest educational enhancement at Oak Mountain High School.

The $7.5 million Oak Mountain High School Performing Arts Center is finally complete and ready for the band and choir to take advantage of after nearly 17 months of construction.

The new center marks not only the first expansion to the OMHS campus since 2007, but also represents the SCS Board of Education’s investment and support of fine arts education.

Extra attention is typically paid to enhancing sports facilities and supporting the football team, so it is good to see a school and BOE that is interested in furthering the opportunities of choir and band students to excel in their fields.

The new band room will allow the entirety of the Spirit of Cahaba Marching Band to perform together in an auditorium and features a lot of space for storage of instruments. The band room was even named the Jim Duren Band Room—honoring the legacy of the school’s first band director who passed away from COVID-19 complications in 2020.

As Shelby County continues to grow, it would be good to continue to see more investments and upgrades to the fine arts programs in its schools. Supporting these programs sends a clear message that there are other opportunities and ways to make your voice heard and to showcase your talent than pure athleticism or academics. These kids work just as hard as everyone else, it’s time that they be rewarded and supported so that we can see how far they can go.

The post Opinion: We should support our arts programs appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

I absolutely pounded a chicken quesadilla as I sat on a plastic chair and watched Montevallo’s first-ever Day of the Dead unfurl around me.

The next day one of my co-workers, Viridiana Romero, would make fun of me for not being more adventurous at the event. “You had a chicken quesadilla?” she said. “You should have tried lamb or brain or something more festive.”

Honestly, I don’t think she’s wrong. I wish I had been more creative in my eating choices, and that I’d taken better advantage of going to this event.

Montevallo has never held a Day of the Dead, a “Dio De Los Muertos” before, and honestly I’d never really been to one before either.

Like most Americans, most of my exposure to the holiday came from a simple display erected in my high school’s library by the Spanish club for the month of November, all crate paper and xeroxed photographs held in Walmart frames. 

It didn’t feel terribly authentic.

I honestly felt like I learned more about the holiday when I was in college and saw Pixar’s “Coco” for the first time in my fraternity house, and even that didn’t really prepare me for the real thing.

Despite this, I rolled into Montevallo with confidence that I had the broad beats of the holiday pretty well figured out. Basically, you show up, you eat some food and you take time to remember the people who you’ve loved and are now deceased. It’s colorful, it’s festive and it’s a celebration of life and death.

It’s one thing to hear about something like that and to see it represented in the media. But it’s something else entirely to actually be there in person.

When I actually pulled up in my car to the Day of the Dead, I immediately saw people walking around with skulls painted on their faces. I was greeted with music and the smell of tamales, tacos and quesadillas. Like I said I would eventually wind up eating one of those. 

Off to the side, people moved through a series of altars where old family pictures were displayed with candles, and I couldn’t help but stop there and watch as men, women and children took a moment to remember their parents, grandparents and siblings.

It made me think of the people I’ve lost. My dad, my grandparents, and my friend Blaise from college.

I don’t think of them that often. It’s often too painful. Too many good memories mixed with the bad. So easy just to push it all aside and do whatever it is that needs to get done that day.

These people though, the ones who went out and celebrated the day of the dead, were remembering all of those things, all of those memories of the people they’ve loved and lost. And they did it all with such a zest for life, and such a degree of exuberance. 

It made me jealous, and it made me want to emulate them. 

But I didn’t, I just sat there, eating my chicken quesadilla and took notes for an article I’d be writing about the event the next day.

Perhaps next year, I’ll work up the courage, the nerve to remember and to remember the good times.

The post Attending Montevallo’s Day of the Dead appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

As a small second-or-third grader, I received lots of stares and maybe even laughs as I walked down Columbiana Main Street as Jigsaw during Monsters on Main. I was happy and, of course, there was plenty of candy to collect.

Despite the fact that you can’t see the costume you are wearing without looking in the mirror, I believe the greatest joy from Halloween comes from choosing the perfect outfit for your own entertainment. It feels good to dress up as a character from your favorite movie or tv show.

When I was a little kid, I grew up watching horror movies. Regardless of whether I should have or not, I saw every classic slasher flick from the ‘80s to even a few of the newer horror films of the 2000s, which led to a young me dressed as jigsaw for one Halloween. I don’t remember every Halloween outfit I had as a kid, but I sure do remember this one because of the effect it had on others.

Now, many years later, I had the opportunity of being on the other side of things and handed out candy to the little monsters roaming the streets of Columbiana. I got to see plenty of the classic disguises as well as many new ones referencing the most popular movies of the past year.

It was fun to see some familiar faces and the outfits they picked out, either to match a sibling, or be their favorite super hero for a day.

On paper, the Monster Walk is very boring with just a large group of people traveling in a circle down Columbiana Main Street but with the addition of candy, costumes and smiling faces, it has become a staple of the town each year with hundreds of trick-or-treaters and people traveling from all over Shelby County to enjoy the event.

It displays the community spirit of the area as even the local businesses dress up and get involved distributing candy, of which there were more than 5,000 pieces given away this year.

Monsters on Main is a perfect example of Columbiana’s small-town charm and a glimpse at the great family-friendly events that Shelby County has to offer each and every year.

The post Opinion: A trick or treat tradition appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

Pickleball. The word itself sounds like a punchline to a joke that wouldn’t make you laugh. In reality, it’s the name of a sport that has been sweeping across parks, recreational centers and even professional sporting arenas with a shocking velocity.

The craze has players and the occasional onlooker practically standing in lines waiting for the next game and has even inspired many of our local municipalities to fund the creation and construction of a fair number of its courts.

In recent weeks it was even announced that Alabaster is adding three additional courts to the ones already present at their Patriots Park. Movement like this would seem to indicate that the sport which has been labeled, “the fastest growing sport in America” is appealing to both seasoned athletes and enthusiastic beginners.

Yet, despite this, and at the risk of any public image I might have, I have to say that I don’t get it. I find myself standing on the sidelines, scratching my head, and coming up empty with any explanation as to why. Why, of all things, of all the sports, why Pickleball?

I’ve sat many times here in the office begging those around me to explain what the special appeal surrounding this sport is. Despite their kind and caring efforts, I remain just as lost on this topic as the day I first learned about it. Never since trying to learn the game of Cricket has a sport made me feel so lost.

“It’s like table tennis but on a court,” was one of the first explanations of the sport I was given.

I might be mistaken, but table tennis scaled up and played on a court sounds nearly identical to tennis.

Their further efforts have only successfully met me with another simplification, “it melds elements of badminton, tennis and ping pong,”

I hope the game’s many avid players will forgive me when I say that, to me, it just doesn’t make any sense.

For the sporting uninclined, like myself, I understand badminton to be tennis, except with a small racket and even smaller ball that isn’t allow to touch the court. Ping Pong, or table tennis as it is commonly known, is tennis but with a paddle and on a relatively microscopic course.

How exactly you meld those two sports together and get something other than tennis in return is something I cannot wrap my mind around.

I also don’t quite understand just what exactly prevents this new conglomeration of tennis from simply being played on a tennis court. Why must new courts be constructed when, from the information I have at my disposal, the sport can be played on tennis courts with relatively minor adjustments to the net height and differently marked boundaries.

I’d like to know why we can’t simply paint different color lines on preexisting courts, but I cede this point, because I again, don’t understand the sport.

I understand how all of this might sound like I have something against pickleball, but I assure you that is not the case. I merely, and militantly, wish to understand it. If the game is touted for its ease of entry and inclusiveness, why is it that I can’t seem to grasp the concept or the reason for the sport’s existence.

Of course, I respect the enthusiasm and skill of those who find enjoyment in the sport, and I would never wish to take that away from them. If this is what is getting people out and experiencing community togetherness, then I suppose it can’t be all too bad. I simply wish I understood why it has the appeal it has. The meteoric rise of this institution has me questioning if I’m missing out on a nearly universal appeal or if it’s simply the municipal version of a fidget spinner.

In the end, I suppose it’s not about understanding the sport that more or less sounds exactly like tennis but somehow still isn’t, but it is instead appreciating the joy it brings to others. Pickleball seems to have a magic that resonates with a great many people and I’m honestly happy for them. I hope they enjoy the sport, and, in the meantime, I will keep trying to figure out just exactly what it is.

The post Opinion: What’s the big dill with pickleball? appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

Editorial

The city of Alabaster has multiple ongoing construction projects which show the city’s dedication towards improving its amenities and infrastructure—an approach that is mirrored by Shelby County itself.

A contractor has been working for several weeks on improvements and renovations to Alabaster’s Veterans Park to help reinvest and maintain its status as one of the city’s premier parks.

Parks are not only an important component of the goal of Alabaster, but an aligned interest of Shelby County itself which has continually invested into its parks and recreational venues.

The Shelby County Commission recently approved budget adjustments for its parks and recreation grants which have increased in funding and decreased in the required local match—making it easier than ever for local cities to request aid and bring in those wonderful recreational improvements.

Local government isn’t alone either in its pursuit of improving Shelby County’s amenities as even a local church has invested into its community.

St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Chelsea gave back to its community by taking on the efforts to construct a walking trail and has already completed a walkable first phase.

There is a list of benefits to living in Shelby County and one of the most important are its many parks and trails that, not only make this a desirable place to live, but provide an invaluable natural space for recreation.

The next time you have a free weekend, pick a local park or trail, bring a friend or your family and enjoy one of Shelby County’s greatest offerings, an opportunity that other people do not have.

The post Opinion: Shelby County’s greatest strength appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

I first met Dennis Murphy when I was 14 years old, back when I started riding horses.

Dennis is basically what you see when you imagine an old man from a small town like Vandiver. He hates crows and drives a red Polaris everywhere.

Murphy is a former Olympian who set a world record in an event called the Puissance back in 1980. For those not accustomed to the equestrian world, it is an event where you and your horse go over a jump that’s made increasingly higher each round. Murphy wound up jumping a horse over a 2.34-meter high jump. He took a horse over a jump more than seven feet high. Seven feet. That’s taller than some minivans.

When I was a kid, and first heard this story, I was surprised that no one seemed to know about it or seemed to care more about it. My friends at school would roll their eyes when I tried to tell them about how I knew a guy who’d set a world record for jumping a horse, and I never really understood why. 

Granted, I never cared much when those same friends would try to give me play-by-play recaps of an Auburn game that they’d seen over the weekend, but it still frustrated me. Dennis’ stories were enthralling to me, and no one seemed to care.

I was mesmerized by the story of how his first horse was rescued off a kill truck and was named Cornbread.

I was captivated by his recounting of the time when he fell off a horse in front of Queen Elizabeth II.

I couldn’t understand how no one else found the fact that he helped coordinate the stunts for “Something to Talk About” as interesting as I did.

I couldn’t fathom that his story about traveling with the Olympic team to Australia wasn’t turned into a bestseller, the story is complete and even includes an escaped bear from a Russian circus that was with them in customs

I think part of this might be that horseback riding isn’t really a mainstream sport​​, here in America. It gets a lot less attention than the more commonly covered sports like football, soccer, baseball or even tennis.. People don’t grow up with it. You don’t hear about many parents that grew up around it, or who take their kids to horse shows or races.

The media one might find out in the world about equestrians also hasn’t helped us much. Most of it is cartoon nonsense that caters to a very specific demographic of tiny girls who love pastel colored unicorns and/or the idea of incredibly dramatic moments at a barn where the handsome, yet troubled, stableboy falls in love with the privileged, yet sympathetic, rich girl.

For someone who has been involved in the sport for nearly half of their life, it really saddens me that it does not get the admiration and attention that I truly believe it deserves.

It makes me sad because Dennis Murphy isn’t an outlier; there are so many fantastic people in the equestrian community, just here in Shelby County. So many beautiful stories and significant communities of people coming together and being part of one of the few sports where you can genuinely compete and bond with an animal as a partner. 

More people should take advantage of that. We live in an area of Alabama that is amazing horse country, and has equestrian events happening throughout the year. You should go out for a few hours, take your kids, and see what this sport is all about. Maybe you’ll even run into Dennis Murphy.

If you do, you should ask him about the Russian circus bear. 

It really is a great story.

The post Opinion: A Legend Worth Knowing appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

A 15-year-old high school student from Appalachian High School was waiting on the school bus when catastrophe struck.

She was about to get on the bus with another student when she was tragically hit and killed by a vehicle that left the road.

This terrible story is just one of many car accidents that have recently happened in Alabama that should be prevented.

With all the services our local police officers provide, you would be hard-pressed to find one more important than protecting our youth. Fortunately, the Calera Police Department recognizes this and has been on the move to  provide a hands-on solution.

The Calera Police Department received reports of dangerous driving within the vicinity of school buses, including illegally passing a stopped school bus as well as speeding within the general vicinity.

With these reports of dangerous driving around school buses in Calera, the CPD have placed officers on stations around bus routes and even on the buses themselves.

Officers can now stand and watch and report first-hand when an incident occurs and radio local officers who are stationed nearby.

The increased presence of law enforcement, along with tickets and citations, will hopefully serve to disincentivize these dangerous driving behaviors near our schools.

This new program stands as a shining example of investment into the safety of our children, and I hope to see more precautions being taken by other local municipalities.

Fortunately, Shelby County is no stranger to investing into school safety as local cities have heavily invested into the School Resource Officer program. The city of Alabaster, for instance, recently approved the hiring of an eighth additional full-time SRO earlier this year.

SRO’s not only provide a continual presence on the grounds of a school to watch for dangerous intruders but also serve as a familiar face that the local students can get to know over the years. One might already feel safer with an officer around, but one you know and trust is even better.

However, it is also crucial that we not only find ways to protect kids while they are at school but also find ways to better protect them as they head there and as they make their way home.

Let’s not stop there and wait for another tragedy to occur before we move to change our policies and tactics. It would be good to see the local schools and municipalities continue to be forward-thinking in their approaches in ensuring the safety of Shelby County’s youth.

The post Opinion: Student safety is paramount appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

I had the pleasure of covering a series of stories over the past two weeks that focused around the retirement of Helena’s Peter Valenti from his position of fire chief.

Having just now begun my third month with the Shelby County Reporter, I have not had much time to develop a working relationship with him, but even in that short time I have come to realize a few things.

One of them being that the man is a veritable institution in and of himself. The matter of his dedication, having had a career in fire service for nearly 40 years, can in no way be denied or questioned and his list of achievements are nearly as long as the list of city officials, family members and department heads that came to wish him a happy retirement during a party held in his honor at Helena City Hall on Sept. 27.

Acting now as a writer and reporter, I cannot help but look at Valenti’s illustrious career with a mix of admiration and a tinge of envy. My own professional and career trajectories have been marked by frequent shifts and turns that stand in stark contrast to ones like his. Having had as many career changes as I’ve had years since graduating from college, each change has brought with it a new set of challenges and learning curves. The very idea of holding onto a singular profession, with unwavering commitment, for the better part of four decades seems almost otherworldly to me.

I for one can’t help but admire and envy that level of dedication. In today’s rapidly changing world, where career changes are often the norm and the idea of a “job for life” seems extinct, Valenti’s journey is a welcome beacon to me. It’s a reminder that with passion, dedication and a clear sense of purpose, one can not only build a career but also leave an indelible mark on a community.

In Valenti’s case, it also helps if you are endowed with a recognizable sense of humor, humility and honor.

I found it incredibly telling that when surrounded in a room filled to capacity with those wishing to recognize him, he insisted on recognizing and thanking everyone else for the success others have credited to him.

Even after nearly 20 years in the position of fire chief, Valenti still thanks and recognizes his predecessor, Chief Penhale, for “Taking a chance on him,” and officially hiring him back in 1989. It is the type of honest humility that commands a willing respect.

While my time working with Helena is just beginning, and my interactions with Valenti have been limited, hearing some of the stories and getting to know the man himself have left a lasting impression on me. As he embarks on this new chapter of retirement, I, along with what I am sure is the entire community of Helena, salute Peter Valenti for his unparalleled service and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

I would also like to join the long list of those who have already welcomed Chris Miller to his new position of Helena’s fire chief. I look forward to covering the Helena Fire Department under his leadership and cannot wait to see and report on the things to come.

The post Opinion: An earned retirement appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.

By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

When my mom was a little girl, her family would stop by Lloyd’s every time they’d drive down to Lake Martin for the weekend. 

My Grandaddy would get a box of onion rings that were as thin as shoestring, all oily and limp. He’d put extra salt on them, put the box in the middle of the console, and everybody, my mom, my aunt, my uncle and Granddaddy, would snack on it all the way to the lake.

My grandma, Mimi, preferred her onion rings without salt and would wash them down with the help of a massive cup of fresh lemonade that she rarely shared with anyone.

Lloyd’s has served as a generational staple for 86 years. In that time, it has established itself as an institution in the lives of countless members of our community.

It’s hard to believe that it’s coming to an end. It’s hard to believe that those greasy doors will be closing forever in only a few weeks.

I only went to Lloyd’s with any regularity when I was a junior board member of the AHJA, Alabama Hunter Jumper Association. We held our board meetings there, and I mostly went for the fried okra and the incredibly dramatic displays of gossip-worthy things that occurred at the meetings between a group of middle-aged horse trainers and pony-moms.

I was the sort of teenager who thrived on drama, and traditional southern cuisine. So, I loved the sheer entertainment of people arguing over where to hold different horse shows and why certain trophies had vanished without a trace, all while I tore into a big ole piece of fried chicken.

I loved Lloyd’s, but I didn’t really think about it much after my tenure at the AHJA ended.

For no reason in particular, I just stopped going.

I don’t think my experience is really unique either. Lloyd’s is the sort of place that is significant for periods of times in people’s lives, but eventually, and often without ever realizing it, you simply go for the last time.

My friend Tracy Slaughter used to go there with her husband Robert all the time for a stretch in their lives. They’d go there for the “immorally delicious fried chicken, sides and cream pies” and the general atmosphere, the way the waitresses would smile at you and call you “honey”, “darlin’” or “sweetie”. It was a fun, cute date spot for them. A place to feel southern charm and hospitality and the ability to indulge in just the right amount of fried food.

But they stopped going. Tracy and Robert moved an hour away and entered into a new chapter of their lives. Lloyd’s just wasn’t a part of it anymore. 

My mom and her family stopped going to Lloyd’s after stopping there on every lake trip for years and years on end. 

A big part of that is that their lives just changed.

My mom and Uncle went to college, and then it was just my grandparents and my Aunt driving to the lake. Other restaurants opened up, most of them around Lloyd’s and some of those places felt like better options. 

My mom’s family entered a new chapter, and Lloyd’s stopped being a part of their lives.

Even though Lloyds is no longer a part of my life, or my mom’s or Tracy’s, it doesn’t mean we still won’t miss it. 

I’ll always treasure the memories of my time there. Whenever I drive down 280, and I pass Lloyd’s, my mouth always starts to water, and I begin to think about those AHJA meetings I’d attend as a young teenager. It makes me smile.

I’m sad that I won’t have a chance to go back there again and that I won’t have the chance to make Lloyd’s part of this chapter of my life. 

But before it closes on Sunday, Oct. 15, I’m going to go back to Lloyd’s one last time. I’ll go there with my grandma and maybe my mom and we’ll get a big plate of greasy salted onion rings, and remember when Lloyd’s was such a big part of our lives.

The post Column: Nostalgia with a side of onion rings appeared first on Shelby County Reporter.