Phillip Lewis’ unplanned path to creative success By Sarah Owens By the time Phillip Lewis landed in New York City, the move felt less like a carefully mapped decision and more like a continuation of a pattern that had defined much of his early adulthood—trusting instinct, taking risks and figuring things out along the way. … Read More
The annual Alabaster Police Appreciation Dinner is far more than food. By Barry Wise Smith Dena Bedsole’s idea for starting the Alabaster Police Appreciation Dinner was born from a tragedy in Texas, when in 2016, four police officers were ambushed and killed at a community parade. Bedsole, a nurse anesthetist by trade whohas been married … Read More
Thompson Sweethearts Tyger and Kayla Quarles Celebrate Law, Love and a New Chapter By Sarah Owens By the time Tyger and Kayla Quarles finally sat still on the beach in Maui, it was mid-August 2025, and the whirlwind that had defined the previous year had finally stopped. “We were over everything while everything was happening,” … Read More
High-quality, culturally rich performances in our own backyard By Lee Hurley The Siluria Sounds Concert Series, presented by the City of Alabaster, at the city’s new amphitheater on the Municipal Green next to City Hall, kicked off on April 2 with performances by the Thompson High School Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band, and Jazz Combo … Read More
With every canvas, artist Dawn South educates about Autism. By Katharine Armbrester Dozens of talented artists participated in the 62nd annual Bluff Park Art Show last year, which takes place in Hoover on the first Saturday of October. Several of the entrants hailed from Alabaster, but Dawn South was the only one who mentioned “Autism … Read More
By Sarah Owens Photography courtesy of Alabaster City Schools “Hey, is this Graham Bennett?” “Yes.” “We’ve got a job opening at Thompson High School. Would you like to teach jazz music here?” The timing of that phone call still makes Bennett laugh. It came in 2019, just hours after the birth of his second daughter. … Read More
Alabaster’s own Holly Dean comes full circle By Barry Wise Smith For Holly Dean, the CEO of Baptist Health Shelby Hospital, life has come full circle. Born at Shelby’s sister hospital Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital, Dean grew up in Alabaster before moving to Hoover and graduating high school there. So, when she took the top … Read More
For this retired educator, learning is a way of life. By June Mathews Tommie Mowery Harrison grew up in Wilton, a tiny town about as far south in Shelby County as you can get. A family of modest means, the Mowerys never had money to spare, but Tommie’s parents, Paul and Thelma, worked hard to … Read More
This year’s 23rd annual festival promises to be the biggest and best ever It’s summer so it must be time for Alabaster CityFest. To help celebrate, we’ve compiled information on the festival including interviews with two headliners along with sponsors, bios, schedules, and an FAQ, all to whet your appetite for the real thing on … Read More
By Carmen Brown Saddle Lake Farms HOA Board President Mellissa Wiley and her husband Steve looked at more than 100 houses before they found that country feel in the city they were looking for. “We were looking for some acreage that was still in the city of Alabaster,” Wiley says. “This is still in the … Read More
