A Place to Call Home 
Country music star Sara Evans finds family, friends and fans aplenty in the Magic City. 

BY ABIGAIL B. MILLWOOD | PHOTO BY JEAN ALLSOPP | STYLED BY ROSE NGUYEN AND MINDY SANTO 

    You may expect that a day in the life of a typical Mountain Brook mom would look vastly different from that of a multi-platinum-record-selling, Country Music Award-winning singing sensation, but for Sara Evans, they’re one and the same. From whipping up bacon and eggs for her family of nine to singing to a sold-out crowd, it’s all in a day’s work for this superstar, who’s happy to call Birmingham home.
    Sara moved to the Magic City last July after marrying former University of Alabama football player Jay Barker. Though her career was rooted largely in Nashville, she decided to bring her three children to Birmingham so the family could be closer to Jay’s four kids. “It was the best decision I ever made—for mine and Jay’s relationship and for the children,” Sara says. “It’s an amazing place to raise kids. It’s like Mayberry!” Though she and Jay have celebrity status, the pair are down-to-earth and can often be seen playing with the kids in the front yard of their Crestline home. “Vince Gill told me that the best way to get around people trying to find things out about you is to put it out there,” Sara says. “People are used to seeing me walking down the street to take the kids to school. It’s no big deal.”   
    While she may spend three or more days a week jet setting, Sara maintains that life as a country music star isn’t so different from everyone else’s: She packs the kids’ lunches the night before, gets them up in the morning to see them off to school, and spends a little quality time playing Legos or watching Taylor Swift on YouTube with her 4-year-old before dropping her off at preschool. Then she squeezes in a few radio interviews, a photo shoot or two and some songwriting before the kids come home in the afternoon, fired up for whatever sport is in season at the time. “In spring we juggled five baseball teams,” Sara says with a laugh. “It takes constant scheduling and staying way, way ahead of the game.” 
    When she’s not bustling from one child’s activity to another, Sara explores the city’s other offerings. “I love the shopping and restaurants and all the villages. Everything is so quaint and traditional,” she says. “They’ve done a great job in Mountain Brook of keeping things very Norman Rockwell.” Her own home is the perfect blend of old Southern charm and modern sensibilities. Sara joined forces with friend, neighbor and interior designer Lisa Flake to give the house a polished yet comfortable look that equally suits a country star and her rambunctious brood. She and Jay are currently in the middle of transforming the pool house into an office, complete with a baby grand piano. “That way, when songwriters come down, we can go there and escape the chaos but still be home,” she says. 
    With Christmas just around the corner and Sara’s plans to release a new album next spring, chaos is plentiful in the Barker household, but it’s also a time of tradition and excitement. “I grew up with a mother who was a phenomenal cook,” Sara says. “She does a humongous Christmas breakfast, starting to cook the night before. She makes cinnamon rolls, sausage gravy, biscuits—you can’t imagine the food.” Sara keeps the tradition alive, preparing all of her childhood favorites for the whole clan. “Last Christmas we had all seven kids, so my mom gave me the recipes and told me exactly how to do everything,” she remembers. “Then, since everyone got new bikes, we went on a nine-man bike ride through Crestline Village on Christmas Day. When the neighbors see us coming, you know they’re thinking, ‘Oh no, here come the Barkers!’ ”
    Though she’s from Missouri and lived many years in Nashville, Sara is happy to have found a home in Birmingham, where family and friends are bountiful. “I love Alabama and love living here,” she says sincerely. “I feel like I’m from here, and I’m overwhelmed by how gracious people have been.” Luckily for Sara, the city seems to have fallen just as in love with her. “I’m never leaving this house,” she says. “I’m never leaving ever.”