Birmingham Boys Choir performs at December chamber luncheon

The Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce got into the holiday spirit on Tuesday for its December monthly luncheon at Vestavia Country Club.

The festivities began with a wine pull, where players could pay $10 for a wrapped bottle of wine, with the chance to win $100. Proceeds from the game will go to the Vestavia Hills Police Foundation, which is raising funds to build a memorial and garden in front of the department.

Carol Adkins of OnTime Service, which sponsored the luncheon, said during her remarks that she wanted members and guests to remember those less fortunate during the holiday season.

“Just remember that we have a lot of opportunities, and we are very blessed,” Adkins said.

She recognized Diane and former mayor Butch Zaragoza for their work with KultureCity, which works to build inclusion for children with autism.

Diane Zaragoza thanked Adkins and the rest of the chamber for the support and chance to speak. On Friday, she said, KultureCity will finally take ownership of its own office space, instead of having to operate out of worker's homes — an achievement that Zaragoza said will make a huge difference in the services they are able to provide.

After taking care of business for the last luncheon of the year, the chamber welcomed a contingent from the Birmingham Boys Choir for a collection of holiday carols.

The choir, which is based out of Vestavia, performed a selection that included familiar tunes as well as 14th century songs.

“This is a really good snapshot of how good we really are,” Executive Director Margaret Stinnett said of the handful of chorestors who were able to make the performance despite it being the last week in the semester.

Stinnett thanked the chamber and greater Vestavia community for its support both in-person and financially.

“We just feel very embraced by the community,” she said.

The choir just finished up its holiday concert, but Stinnett invited members and guests to attend upcoming concerts, including one in the late spring that will celebrate the choir’s 45th anniversary and Music Director Ken Berg’s 40th year of directing.

Chamber vice chair of programming Donnie Dobbins said that as a "thank you" for their performance at the luncheon, the chamber would be making a donation to the boys choir.