Can’t Miss Alabama: Summertime favorites include Birmingham Restaurant Week
The summer edition of Birmingham Restaurant Week returns through July 30 with options everyone can enjoy. (Birmingham Restaurant Week)
Plan your weekend around the city’s dynamic food scene.
Birmingham Restaurant Week
The summer edition of Birmingham Restaurant Week (BRW) features deals from about 50 locally owned restaurants, bars and food trucks with $5-$50 prix fixe menus, multicourse chef-curated meals and bartender-created cocktails. Ranging from fried chicken to barbecue to steak to octopus, BRW offers dishes for every taste bud. With to-go and dine-in options, anyone can indulge in a BRW meal through Saturday, July 30. Click restaurant sign-up to learn more. Follow the links for the complete list of participating restaurants and events. Social media hash tags are #BRW2022 and #BhamRestWeek.
Montgomery Freedom Rides Museum
The Freedom Rides Museum will host “The Green Book: Navigating Jim Crow America” through Sunday, July 31. The exhibit focuses on the annual “Green Book” travel guide that catered to Black travelers during the 20th century. The exhibit highlights Alabama businesses and homes listed in the “Green Book” and emphasizes how the Freedom Rides and Civil Rights Act changed how Black Americans traveled. The Ben Moore Hotel in Montgomery and the A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham are two remaining “Green Book” sites in Alabama. The museum is at 210 South Court St. in Montgomery.
City Lights & Stars Concert
Austin Grimm & Friends will headline the City Lights & Stars concert series Friday, July 22 at Burritt on the Mountain in Huntsville. After spending a decade leading Nashville band Roots of a Rebellion and touring the country, Grimm is making the best of ROAR’s hiatus. Recording and releasing the No. 1 Billboard reggae album, “Shapes of a Soul,” the band spreads good energy to crowds everywhere. The show is a feel-good, eclectic blend of reggae, rock, folk and country music. Bring your chair, blanket and picnic basket to enjoy the evening. Online tickets are $10 to $25. Food trucks will be on-site with food and dessert available for purchase. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase. No outside alcohol will be allowed. Burritt on the Mountain is at 3101 Burritt Drive.
Fire of Love
The weekend show at the Sidewalk Film Center will be “Fire of Love” July 22 to Aug. 4. Buy tickets here. Visit sidewalkfest.com for upcoming shows.
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Sweet Grown Alabama
Farmers markets across the state will host Sweet Grown Alabama Day Saturday, July 23. Alabamians from Cullman to Foley will be able to purchase locally grown products and connect with farmers in their surrounding areas. Program representatives will share the importance of buying locally grown products and sharing resources to locate farmers across the state.
Local markets include:
- Bessemer Farmers Market, 100 14th St. in Bessemer.
- Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermen’s Market, 20733 Miflin Road in Foley.
- Market at Pepper Place, 2829 Second Ave. S. in Birmingham.
- Montgomery Curb Market, 1004 Madison Ave. in Montgomery.
- Prattville/Autauga Farmers Market, 332 Doster Road in Prattville.
- Town of Berlin Farmers Market, 461 County Road 1615 in Cullman.
Visit the website to learn more about Sweet Grown Alabama.
Bob Sykes book signing at the Birmingham Public Library
Van Sykes, the second-generation owner of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, will share the story about how a true family business has kept the fire burning for 65 years. Attendees will receive free barbecue pork slider sandwiches, courtesy of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q. After Sykes finishes his talk, he will sign copies of his new book, “From the Pit to the Plate: The Story of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q,” which will be available for $30. The book-signing is Saturday, July 23 from noon to 1 p.m. at Birmingham Central Library, 2100 Park Place.
Lake Martin Songwriter’s Festival
The Lake Martin Songwriter’s Festival July 27-31 features more than 20 artists at multiple venues. Follow this link for the complete list of performances and locations. For more information, visit lakemartinsongwritersfestival.com.
Alabama in the Movies Summer Film Festival
Alabama in the Movies is underway through Thursday, July 28. The annual summer film festival is hosted by the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH). The festival, which features movies with Alabama connections, returns after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
- July 21 – “Forrest Gump”: In this Oscar-winning 1994 film, Forrest Gump, a gentle soul from a small Alabama town, happens into one memorable experience after another through a panorama of 20th century American history. Throughout his life, he is sustained by his love for Jenny, his childhood best friend. The PG-13 film is based on the novel by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise.
- July 28 – “42”: This 2013 film tells the life story of American hero Jackie Robinson, who became the first Black player in Major League Baseball when he was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Many of the scenes were filmed at Birmingham’s Rickwood Field. The PG-13 film stars the late Chadwick Boseman, T.R. Knight and Harrison Ford.
Screenings will be every Thursday at 6 p.m. in ADAH’s Joseph M. Farley Alabama Power Auditorium in Montgomery. Admission is free. Concessions will be available for purchase beginning at 5:30 p.m. For more information, email alex.colvin@archives.alabama.gov or call 334-353-4689.
