Believe it or not, the whole reason I started Do It Yourself Crafts – way back in 1999 – was because I wanted to paint wine glasses. I’ll tell this whole story another time, but we’re excited to announce that wine glass painting is BACK at DIYC!
And I’m really excited to say that one of the first people to paint wine glasses was Joey Longoria, and he didn’t just paint any ol’ wine glasses – but the glasses that the winners of the Wine 10K will sip from. The Wine 10K is a road race that goes through the heart of Homewood. It’s going to be held March 11, and there is still time to sign up! You can find more information at https://runsignup.com/Race/AL/Homewood/BirminghamWine10K
Glass painting is super easy, but slightly different from painting on pottery or on canvas. First, you can see through the glass (obvious, I know, but sometimes you have to say the obvious), so you have to think about what’s going on the other side. Also, it’s SLICK! There isn’t a whole lot of *grip* to glass, so sometimes it takes a minute to get used to it.
We have a wide variety of colors, and glasses are $16 each. These go home with you the day you make them, and you finish them in the oven at home. (Super easy – put the glass in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 300 degrees and your timer to 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn off the oven and let it cool down to room temperature before taking out.)
While Joey was painting, I bombarded him with questions – because I really like getting a chance to find out about my customers and what they love. He’s been coming in for years with his daughter, so we’ve talked about all sorts of things.
DIYC: How did the Wine 10K come into being?
Joey: The National Center for Sports Safety was looking for a way to market and promote our brand and tell people about what we do. In the process, we also wanted to do something sports related since that’s our industry and what we do. We knew we wanted to do a race, but like everything we do, we wanted it to be unique, fun, and well executed. Next, we know runners LOVE mimosas and through an already existing partnership with International Wines, the name Wine 10K was born. We are the only net downhill certified course in Birmingham
What changes are you expecting this year from the inaugural run last year?
More runners! Currently, we are well over last year’s totals in every aspect and will be close to doubling last year’s race entries. Secondly, having Rio Olympic medalist Emma Coburn coming in to run will be something no other race in this area has ever done before. We have also added finisher medals this year. Some seriously cool bling. The finisher medal is a custom designed stainless steel functional wine stopper medal. Last, we have added prize money for the winners this year which has attracted an incredibly fast field for the race. One thing we are not changing is the GREAT post-race party that everyone enjoyed last year serving up mimosas, wine, Trim Tab beer, Revelator Coffee, and the super popular grilled cheese station from Lululemon and the breakfast burrito tent by Homewood Gourmet!
What is your running background?
We need another blog for this. Kidding. Sort of. I started running with my mom in Hobbs, New Mexico when I was 6 years old and started running competitively when we moved to Houston, Texas when I was 8 years old through junior Olympics when I was 8 and competed through high school. We traveled all over the country competing at state meets and national meets. Through high school, my events were the 110 hurdles, 300/400 meter hurdles, javelin, and multi-event discipline and at one point held age-group Texas state records in all four. I didn’t start running beyond a 10k until 2012. The 2012 Magic City half marathon was my first half and since then I have completed 12. I have also completed 5 marathons, most recently, the Houston marathon back in January. Depending on what I’m training for, I run anywhere from 35-65 miles per week
Tell me about the foundation.
The National Center for Sports Safety was founded in 2001 by Dr. Larry Lemak of Lemak Health. His vision and our mission are quite simple: To educate the youth sports community, making the field of play safer for our youth athletes. Primarily, we do this though our coaches education class called PREPARE, which is an all-sports comprehensive education for all coaches, parents and care-givers that was developed by a delegation of athletic professionals spearheaded by Dr. Lemak in 2003, here in Birmingham. The content is reviewed and updated every two years and is currently reaches 48 states and is a mandatory certification among high school coaches in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. You can learn for about the history and what you can do to make sure your child is safer on the playing field by visiting www.sportssafety.org
I know that you are an artist, and you’ve had amazing opportunities with your art. Tell me about what you have going on next.
That’s a great question! I started collaborating with local photographer Ginnard Archibald a few years ago and that partnership has been amazing. We do photography and paint mixed media that has been well received both locally and nationally. In the meantime, I have been contacted by the arts council in Szekesfehervar, Hungary for a solo exhibit toward the end of summer, 2017. If that happens, I’ll be very busy for a few months!
Like so many businesses in Homewood, we’re super proud of this event! If you are a runner, this course is so fun – and is as flat as something in Birmingham can be. If you are running, we’ll be cheering you on, and toasting you afterwards!
