Virtual festivities in Can’t Miss Alabama honor veterans
Give thanks to our courageous heroes. (Getty Images)
Applaud and express your gratitude to America’s heroes.
Veterans Day Virtual Parade
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the nation’s oldest and largest Veterans Day Parade, held each year in downtown Birmingham, will be virtual this year. The parade will include a variety of recorded and live content. View the parade on Veterans Day at nationalveteransday.org at 4:30 p.m. Check the website for updates. Click here for the Veterans Day photo gallery. Follow this link to watch last year’s parade. Donations are welcomed.
Honor a veteran at American Village
Visitors will have the opportunity to place a flag at the National Veterans Shrine on Veterans Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The program will feature prayers of thanksgiving for the nation, veterans and active military in the Colonial Chapel at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. The celebration will also commemorate the 400th anniversary of the signing of the Mayflower Compact, the first self-governing constitution in America. All buildings except the Chapel and Shrine will be closed. Face coverings and temperature checks will be required and social distancing encouraged. Register at veteransregisterofhonor.com. Admission is free. The venue is The American Village at 3727 Alabama Highway 119 in Montevallo.
Veterans Day Honors Program in Mobile
The Mobile Veterans Day Commission will honor the 2020 Patriot of the Year and 2020 Veteran of the Year in the Medal of Honor Aircraft Pavilion at USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The event is free of charge and the public is invited to attend. Admission will be charged to tour the park. Donate and buy tickets at ussalabama.com. For more information, call 251-433-2703. Stay updated here for upcoming activities.
National Veterans Small Business Week
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) celebrates veterans, service members and military spouses during National Veterans Small Business Week. The event is underway through Friday, Nov. 6. This year’s theme is #VetBiz Resources in Your Local Community. SBA will highlight and connect veterans nationwide with local-level entrepreneurial resources. Find events here.
Alabama Veterans Memorial Foundation Live Stream
A virtual Memorial Day Remembrance and Veterans Day Ceremony will be Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m. The virtual ceremony will be live streamed here. The step stones placed after last year’s ceremony will be addressed in a video along with a performance by the Birmingham Boys Choir and a few words from notable veterans. Follow this link to learn more.
Vulcan Park and Museum
Spend a day at Vulcan Park and Museum on Veterans Day. Park grounds, the observation tower, Vulcan Center and the anvil are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Free admission is being offered to veterans and active-duty service members with a valid ID. Visit the website for current events.
Eat in the Streets moves to Pepper Place
Eat in the Streets will be at The Market at Pepper Place in Birmingham this weekend. The theme will be “Day of the Dead,’’ a celebration of remembrance and life that honors the lives of those loved and lost. The cross-cultural event will be on 29th Street South between Second Avenue South and Third Avenue South. Friday’s event will also feature a reveal of outdoor lights spanning 29th Street South. The event will be from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, with the movie “Coco’’ shown at 7. On Saturday, bands and DJs will provide entertainment. Saturday’s hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Some retailers will stay open late Friday for Eat in the Streets and will open on Saturday.
Participating restaurants include:
- Bettola
- Blueprint on 3rd
- Hot & Hot Fish Club
- Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
- The Lumbar
- OvenBird
- Red Cat Coffee House
- Blueroot Company
- Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn
Participating retailers include:
Moss Magic in 2020
If you are hungry for an interesting experience centered on the arts alongside nature and smart living ideas, then Moss Magic is for you. The 15th annual Moss Rock Festival will be Nov. 7-8 at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex with Magic City Art Connection (MCAC) as special guest. Art, innovation, imagination and fun await visitors of all ages. Discover more than 125 juried artists and makers inspired by nature alongside a new roster of artists from the MCAC downtown contemporary art festival, which was canceled in the spring. Also featured is a SmartLiving Market, Sweetery features, +Design artisans, nature exhibitors, WonderKid Studios projects, curated ambient music, a commemorative photo booth, $1,200 Pursell Farms resort giveaway and a month-long Beer Garden Trail. The outdoor festival is compliant with Alabama and Jefferson County Departments of Health and the City of Hoover safety protocols.
Beer Garden Trail
Moss Rock Festival’s Beer Garden spotlights a selection of breweries on the cutting edge of the craft beer industry. The ninth annual craft tasting event will present beer aficionados a diverse tasting experience, but in a new way amid coronavirus. Taste your way around the area’s first Beer Garden Trail with local and nearby breweries through Monday, Nov. 30. Patrons will get the opportunity to sample more than 45 craft brews. Sixteen area breweries are being featured as tasting stops on the 2020 trail. The commemorative glass pickup spot will be at Whole Foods Market on U.S. 280 in the cheese department. Your Beer Garden Trail ticket also provides entry to Moss Magic.
(Getty Images)
Homewood for the holidays
The Homewood Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the merchants of downtown Homewood will have their 20th annual Holiday Open House through Wednesday, Nov. 11, in downtown Homewood. The merchants on 18th Street and surrounding areas invite you to kick off the holiday season with holiday specials and daily musical and dance performances at 3 p.m. in the community circle outside of Trak Shak. The Holiday Open House is one of the Chamber’s most anticipated events of the year. In addition to kicking off the holiday shopping season, Homewood for the Holidays encourages the community to shop locally in smaller boutiques closer to home. Call 205-871-5631 or email marketing@homewoodchamber.org for more information.
Gadsden’s Hardin Center reopens
It is now free to view art exhibitions at the Hardin Center in Gadsden. Two exhibitions, a pairing of landscape painters, opened recently. New York artist Martin Weinstein uses acrylic paint on layers of floating acrylic sheets that are stacked to form a single image of great depth. The perspective of the image changes as the viewer moves. Maryland artist Stephen Estrada uses oil on canvas to capture coastal scenes. His work features spectacular images of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as well as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The exhibitions are on view in the Chan Gallery until Wednesday, Dec. 30. Visitors may visit the art exhibitions and the Hardin Center’s 72-foot-long railroad model of Gadsden in the 1940s for free from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. The art gallery and model railroad are closed on weekends. Donations are welcomed. The Hardin Center and Imagination Place are at 501 Broad St. For more information, call 256-543-2787, extension 38.
Paint Art Live
Every Thursday through Nov. 19, Paint Art Live hosts Cocktails + Canvases at The Wharf in Orange Beach. It is the ultimate paint party with different, colorful themes each week on a 16-by-20-inch gallery-wrapped canvas. Come early to grab a drink to sip while painting your autumn masterpiece. The minimum age requirement is 16, and attendees must be 21 or older with a valid ID to purchase alcoholic beverages. The cost is $20 per person. Click here to register. All guests must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Have fun but keep back 6 feet. Air high-fives are encouraged when you see friends.
Shelby County Arts Council
Enjoy the Shelby County Arts Council (SCAC) free live stream performances from the Black Box Theatre on the SCAC YouTube channel. For the complete lineup, click here. Follow this link for upcoming events. For donations and memberships, go here.
