SENTENCE BACK HERE IN THE US. WELL, AFTER NATALEE DISAPPEARED IN 2005, THE MOUNTAIN BROOK COMMUNITY AND THE GREATER BIRMINGHAM AREA REALLY RALLIED AROUND THE FAMILY AND THEY SHOWED THEIR SUPPORT THROUGH YELLOW RIBBONS. I鈥橫 GLADYS BATTISTA JOINS US NOW LIVE IN. GLADYS, I KNOW THAT THAT WE鈥橵E SEEN THAT ALL OVER THE COMMUNITY. YEAH, LISA, EMPLOYEES HERE AT SMITH VARIETY TELL ME THAT THEY REMEMBER MAKING HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF THESE YELLOW BOWLS SO THAT PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY COULD PUT THEM ON THEIR MAILBOXES TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR NATALEE HOLLOWAY FAMILY AS THEY DEALT WITH HER DISAPPEARANCE. NOW, TODAY, WHEN WE WALKED IN, EMPLOYEES WERE MAKING BOWLS. BUT THEY TELL ME THE TRADITION HERE STARTED WITH NATALEE HOLLOWAY DISAPPEARANCE. HOLLOWAY LIVED IN MOUNTAIN BROOK AND HAD JUST GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL HERE WHEN SHE VANISHED ON HER CLASS TRIP IN ARUBA, THE OWNER OF SMITH鈥橲 BRAD SIMPSON SAYS THE YELLOW BOATS THEY STARTED AS A WAY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO RALLY AROUND HER FAMILY. AND THROUGH THE TRAGEDY, SHE BROUGHT THIS COMMUNITY TOGETHER. IT BEGAN A LEGACY THROUGH THE BOWS THAT STILL LIVES ON TODAY. WE鈥橵E DONE QUITE A FEW KIND OF BOW FUNDRAISERS AND BOW THINGS SINCE THEN, BUT THAT鈥橲 PROBABLY THE LARGEST THAT WE鈥橵E EVER DONE IN THE HISTORY OF SMITH鈥橲. AND IT JUST SHOWS THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY AND IT SHOWS KIND OF HOW MUCH THIS COMMUNITY WILL RALLY AROUND PEOPLE. AND WE鈥橰E BLESSED TO BE A PART OF THAT AND STILL BE BLESSED TO BE A PART OF THAT. NOW, AFTER SPEAKING TO PEOPLE HERE IN MOUNTAIN BROOK, THEY TELL ME THAT THEY鈥橰E SENDING THEIR PRAYERS TO NATALIE HOLLOWAY鈥橲 FAMILY AS THEY DEAL WITH THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS. AND THEY SAY THAT THEY CERTAINLY HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN HER HERE IN TH
Mountain Brook remembers yellow bows in memory of Natalee Holloway as case develops
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Updated: 7:18 PM CDT May 11, 2023
The news of the suspect in Natalee Holloway's disappearance being extradited to Alabama is bringing back a lot of emotions for the Mountain Brook community. Employees at Smith's Variety in Crestline remembered making hundreds, if not thousands, of yellow bows for community members to put on their mailboxes throughout Mountain Brook to show support for Holloway's family after she vanished in Aruba. The owner of Smith's Variety, Brad Simpson, said he took the store over about three years ago, but described hearing about Holloway from current employees who were working there at the time of her disappearance. "It's always been front and center in people's minds in Mountain Brook, because not many things have happened on that scale here, so it's still kind of near and dear to this community," Simpson said. "And so when I came along, it was prior to my time, but it was still kind of the heart of Smith's and who we are as kind of providing for the community."He spoke about how her disappearance hurt more than just her family and became a way the community came together."It still resonates with so many people, it resonates with me, because I have an 18-year-old daughter that graduates from high school in a couple of days, so it really hits home to me, and I can't imagine what the family is going through," Simpson said. "And I just hope they can get some kind of closure around this." Simpson said the bows began a tradition in the community that still resonates to this day 鈥� for residents to get bows to put on their mailboxes to show their support or raise awareness for a cause. "We've done quite a few bow fundraisers and bow things, and that's probably the largest that we've ever done in the history of Smith's, and it just shows the support of the community," Simpson said. "It shows kind of how much this community will rally around people, and we're blessed to be a part of that and still blessed to be a part of that."
MOUNTAIN BROOK, Ala. — The news of the suspect in Natalee Holloway's disappearance being extradited to Alabama is bringing back a lot of emotions for the Mountain Brook community.
Employees at remembered making hundreds, if not thousands, of yellow bows for community members to put on their mailboxes throughout Mountain Brook to show support for Holloway's family after she vanished in Aruba.
The owner of Smith's Variety, Brad Simpson, said he took the store over about three years ago, but described hearing about Holloway from current employees who were working there at the time of her disappearance.
"It's always been front and center in people's minds in Mountain Brook, because not many things have happened on that scale here, so it's still kind of near and dear to this community," Simpson said. "And so when I came along, it was prior to my time, but it was still kind of the heart of Smith's and who we are as kind of providing for the community."
Smith's Variety
yellow bows showed support for holloway’s family in mountain brook
He spoke about how her disappearance hurt more than just her family and became a way the community came together.
"It still resonates with so many people, it resonates with me, because I have an 18-year-old daughter that graduates from high school in a couple of days, so it really hits home to me, and I can't imagine what the family is going through," Simpson said. "And I just hope they can get some kind of closure around this."
Simpson said the bows began a tradition in the community that still resonates to this day 鈥� for residents to get bows to put on their mailboxes to show their support or raise awareness for a cause.
"We've done quite a few bow fundraisers and bow things, and that's probably the largest that we've ever done in the history of Smith's, and it just shows the support of the community," Simpson said. "It shows kind of how much this community will rally around people, and we're blessed to be a part of that and still blessed to be a part of that."
