More than 120 Oak Mountain Elementary School students participated in the Kids Mercedes Marathon. Photo courtesy of Sallie Youngblood.

Braving the chilly early morning temperatures at Sunday’s Kids Mercedes Marathon were more than 120 Oak Mountain Elementary students and three relay teams of OMES teachers and faculty.

Oak Mountain Elementary sent three relay teams of teachers and faculty to the Mercedes Marathon. Photo courtesy of Sallie Youngblood.

The relay teams—Rays of Light, Thomas’ Tweets and Horton’s Whos—were captained by Jennifer Ray, Katie Thomas and new principal Debbie Horton.

To participate in the Kids Marathon, sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, students in grades K – 5 join in a five-month endurance building running/walking program, running the distance of a full marathon (26.2 miles) over the course of the program. Students complete their final mile on the actual marathon course to receive a finisher’s medal.

Second graders at Chelsea Park Elementary prepare for their upcoming fun run fundraiser event, “The Buzz.” Photo by Kathryn Acree.

Physical education teachers Kelly Stewart and Valeria Hackett have their Chelsea Park Elementary Hornets all a-buzz with some great events.

“We just had our largest group ever, over 50 students, participate in the Kids Mercedes Marathon,” said Stewart, who recently attained National Board Certification. “In only our second year to have a group in the race, we doubled our number of participants.”

Chelsea Park Elementary second graders Chris Colle and Isabella Wesson show off their jump rope skills during PE class. The school recently completed their Jump Rope for Heart Fundraiser for the American Heart Association, raising over $5,000. Photo by Kathryn Acree.

Chelsea Park Elementary just wrapped up their Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser for the American Heart Association, raising over $5,000.  Students in grades K-3 brought in donations for the annual event.

The students are currently preparing for one of the school’s most popular fundraisers known as “The Buzz.” The fun run event on Feb. 24 hopes to expand on last year’s event, which raised over $35,000 to purchase SMART boards and other technology for the school.

Physical education teachers Kelly Stewart and Valeria Hackett with Chelsea Park Elementary second grader Nicholas Christian. Photo by Kathryn Acree.

For the event, students run or walk as many laps as possible around a 1/15th mile track in 30 minutes. They collect pledges for The Buzz in the weeks leading up to the event.

Shelley Johnson at Fancy Fur on Valleydale Road is selling $5 hearts to benefit the Shelby Humane Society. Stop by until Feb. 14 to purchase yours from your pet. Photo by Kathryn Acree.

You can share the love of four-legged friends by purchasing a Valentine’s Day heart for $5. Monies raised will help feed hungry, homeless pets at the Shelby Humane Society on Valentine’s Day. Hearts can be purchased at the shelter, www.shelbyhumane.org, Johnny Ray’s in Chelsea, Fancy Fur, Paul’s Diamond Center and the Vibe Salon. Heart valentines will be available for purchase through Feb. 14.

The hearts have space for you to write your own pet’s name on them as a message of love to the animals being cared for at the Shelby Humane Society.

For more information about “My Furry Valentine” or the Shelby Humane Society, please call Jenny Wilson, Executive Director of the SHS, at 669-3916 ext. 36 or visit www.shelbyhumane.org.

Some young visitors to the North Shelby Library make valentines to send to patients at Children’s Hospital. Photo by Kathryn Acree.

Handmade well wishes appear to be the clear winner. “I have yet to get a store bought card,” said Cecelia Dean, librarian in the North Shelby youth area. “The kids just love to make their own.”

Librarian Cecelia Dean with some of the valentines collected at the North Shelby Library to send to Children’s Hospital. The library will collect handmade or store bought valentines until Feb. 10. Photo by Kathryn Acree.

A card making station is set up at the entrance to the children’s area in the library.

Five members of the Atlanta Braves organization made a stop at Academy Sports at Lee Branch, including pitchers Jair Jurriens and Randall Delgado. Photo by Kathryn Acree.

The Atlanta Braves caravan made a stop at Academy Sports at Lee Branch on Thursday afternoon.  The group included pitchers Jair Jurrjens and Randall Delgado, General Manager Frank Wren, Bench Coach Carlos Tosca and broadcaster Don Sutton. Fans waited in line for autographs and a chance to wish the team a great upcoming season.

This giant baseball jersey outside Academy Sports at Lee Branch let shoppers know the Atlanta Braves had arrived. Photo by Kathryn Acree.

Spain Park High School announced its group of 23 signees on national signing day. Photo by Kathryn Acree.

Signees were:

Paul Angel, Meridian Junior College, baseball
Schyler Arnold, University of North Alabama, soccer
Tommy Bostany, University of Maryland, wrestling
Devon Brown, UAB, football
Justin Carter , Rice, football
Destin Challenger, UAB, football
Steven Crain, Samford University, cross country, track and field
Colton Freeman, University of Alabama, baseball (See our feature on Freeman.)
Hunter Hall, Tennessee Wesleyan College, baseball
Terry Harris, Faulkner Unversity, football
Brandon Hazouri, Samford University, cross country, track and field
Chris Humes, Arkansas State, football
Spencer Jack, West Alabama, soccer
Sean Mardis, Moorehead State University, football
Morgan Natale, University of Montevallo, golf
Robby Prater, University of Alabama, golf
Kameron Ricks, Faulkner University, football
Daniel Schroder, University of Montevallo, golf
Ben Tamburello, Samford University, football
Mikey White, University of Alabama, baseball
Joe Williams, University of Alabama, track & field

These SPHS football players signed scholarships on signing day. Photo by Kathryn Acree.

We captured these players’ thoughts on signing day on video:

Jason Laatsch, Basketball, University of West Florida

Kalan Reed, Football, Southern Mississippi

Preston Pittman, Football, Mercer University

Ben Craft, Football, UAB

Hartley’s owners Caldwell and Amy Hartley hold a plate of their favorites: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, greens and cornbread.

Portions of fried chicken, mac ‘n cheese, turnip greens and cornbread are far from small at Hartley’s in Chelsea.

“You will not leave Hartley’s hungry,” said owner Amy Hartley. “We give you a home-cooked meal without the cooking.”

One man said their food is “like mama’s, but better.”

Customers will come on a specific day of the week for their fried chicken, fried catfish or fried green tomatoes. People say they can taste that their mashed potatoes are real, too.

Kids love the creamy, cheddar-topped macaroni and cheese.

Different selections of homemade cakes and pies are served daily along with the peach cobbler, which counts as a “side” and sells out every day.

As the only cafeteria-style meat and three in the Birmingham area of Highway 280, Hartley’s draws hungry customers from the Summit or Harpersville as well as nearby businesses for lunch. They recently opened for dinner on Wednesdays in addition to Thursday and Friday.

The restaurant is located behind the Chevron station and Frontier Bank in Chelsea Corners on Highway 280.

You are guaranteed to find mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and collard or turnip greens at Hartley’s any time they are open. The rest of the menu rotates daily with fried okra, country fried steak, meat loaf, beef tips and rice, hamburger steaks, black-eyed peas and more. There is always a meat of the day, vegetable of the day and casserole of the day.

Because everything is served cafeteria-style, a meal can be quick if you are on a lunch break or passing through Chelsea on the way to Auburn or Lake Martin. It’s all available for carry out, call-in or catering as well.

Owners Amy and Caldwell Hartley have tons of customers they see every day of the week.

“It’s fun because you know them and they know you,” Amy said. “And they always ask about our kids, especially Brady, our 15 month old.”

The couple chose a location for Hartley’s just a few miles from their home so they could still keep their family close. A restaurant had always been a dream on the backburner as Caldwell pursued a real estate career and Amy taught art at Chelsea Park Elementary until they decided to take a leap of faith in October 2009.

“We had all our mothers’ and grandmothers’ recipes and were making them for dinner already,” Amy said. “We wanted everything to be fresh and homemade.”
More than two years later, they have found their niche in “down-home” cooking and even still have most of the wait staff from when they opened.

The Hartleys’ kids go to Chelsea schools, and they have made the restaurant part of the schools as well. During football season, the high school football team comes to eat at the restaurant before the games, and they bring food to the middle school before their games.

While Amy works the front, Caldwell is mostly behind the scenes in the kitchen, but he is very concerned with making people happy.

“Everyday he asks me, ‘Did anyone say anything today?’” Amy said.

Hartley’s Down-Home Kitchen
150 Chelsea Corners Way
678-4990
Sunday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Wednesday-Friday, 5-7:30 p.m.