With five soaring floors of motorcycles as the backdrop, SoulGrown Alabama’s third annual “Soul of the South” awards filled the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham on Thursday night.
As tradition, the ceremony celebrated Alabamians whose work, grit, and generosity are reshaping the state’s creative economy. The setting was fitting: Barber is home to the world’s largest motorcycle collection and a true statewide point of pride.
“It shouldn’t shock people anymore that great talent comes from Alabama. Tonight is a tangible representation of what we aim to do all year long – highlighting the people who make our state great, gifted human beings who are dedicated to cultivating their craft from home, soulfully inspiring a legacy of state pride,” Hancock said.
“We have reflected Alabama in every single detail of tonight’s event – from this iconic venue that houses the world’s largest motorcycle collection…to the camellia, our state flower, on the signage, to a featured cocktail that pays homage to the state fruit – the blackberry – made with Redmont Vodka, distilled right here in Birmingham.” She pointed to an Alabama-sourced spread – Conecuh sausage, Wickles Pickles – and arrangements threaded with locally grown blooms.”
“Skill is impressive,” she added, “but putting your heart and soul into something is actually life-changing. That is what we see in each of our winners.”
- Food & Beverage — Jesús Méndez (Adiós Cocktail Bar; Salud Taqueria)
- Farming & Agriculture — Evan Nelson & Christy Nelson (Nelson Cattle & Hay)
- Residential Architecture — James B. Laughlin (Architectural Designer)
- Commercial Architecture — Kevin Bryant (Davis Architects)
- Artist — Liz Allison (Painter & Muralist)
- Maker — Jenna Collins (Prodigal Pottery at King’s Home)
- Sports & Outdoors — Daniel Wilson (Moultrie Mobile, PRADCO Outdoor Brands)
- Music & Entertainment — Drayton Farley (Singer-Songwriter)
- Entrepreneurship — Macy Johnston & Slade Johnston (Trips4Trade)
- Innovation — Cori Fain-Forrest (Moxie Childcare)
- Interior Design — Anna Still & Marguerite Johnson (Still Johnson Interiors)
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship delivered remarks that doubled as a progress report on the state’s outdoor-recreation assets.
“We are unbelievably blessed in our state with the natural resources and the quality of life that we enjoy here in Alabama,” he said. “We’ve invested about $228 million in our 21 state parks…[and] that $80 million bond you voted for in 2022 helped us leverage even more,” Commissioner Blankenship said.
He listed off a wide array projects, including Oak Mountain campground renovations, a new mass-timber hotel at Cheaha, $66 million in boating access, including a tournament ramp in Demopolis, $76 million for beach access, and $33 million of new sand along the Gulf.
He also spotlighted trail investments during the Year of Alabama Trails, from Coldwater Mountain and Oak Mountain to the Pinhoti Trail, which links Alabama hikers to the Appalachian Trail.
“I’m thankful for what y’all do,” he told the gathering. “Highlighting the artisans and entrepreneurs who make our state better shows that Alabama is a different place than most people think we are.”
After the awards, guests explored a stunning upstairs exhibit of winners’ work and museum wandering.
Hancock closed with a lyric from honoree Drayton Farley and brought a fitting end to a night designed, as she put it, to leave Alabama’s makers “seen and appreciated for all of their hard work.”
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
