Can’t Miss Alabama: Tropic Falls Waterpark, USFL champion Birmingham Stallions return to action and other spring festivities
Tropic Falls is an award-winning theme park with an all-new indoor waterpark. (contributed)
Tropic Falls Waterpark
The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Tropic Falls Waterpark at OWA in Foley will be Friday, April 14 at 9 a.m. With the completion of the Big Water Bay outdoor wave pool and Coastal Curl surf simulator, Tropic Falls is now the largest water-themed experience of its kind on the Gulf Coast, and the only indoor waterpark in the nation with both a retractable roof and sidewall adjoining an outdoor waterpark. Visit the website for ticket information.
Explore a year-round tropical paradise in the Tropic Falls Indoor Waterpark with 75-foot-tall slides beneath a convertible glass roof. (contributed)
Renew Our Rivers
ROR is a national award-winning campaign originated by Alabama Power in 2000 that has grown into community cleanups on rivers, lakes and creeks across four Southeastern states. Since its start, thousands of volunteers have removed more than 16 million pounds of trash and debris from waterways.
Upcoming cleanups:
- Smith Lake (Cullman County) is April 14. For more information, contact Jim Murphy at 205-529-5981.
- Bankhead Lake (Black Warrior River) is April 15. For more information, contact Ronnie Tew at 205-908-4857.
Cleanup supplies will be provided. For the complete ROR schedule, visit apcshorelines.com.
Birmingham Stallions
The defending champion Birmingham Stallions will kick off their second season in the USFL Saturday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. against the New Jersey Generals at Protective Stadium. Buy tickets here. Follow the Birmingham Stallions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Visit the website for the complete schedule.
Birmingham Barons
The Birmingham Barons home opening series has begun with the Rocket City Trash Pandas through Sunday, April 16. On Saturday, celebrate and honor Jackie Robinson with a fun night of fireworks after the game. Follow this link for the complete schedule, updates, promotions and giveaways. Regions Field is a cashless facility. Credit and debit cards will be accepted at the Joe Drake Ticket Office, the Barons Sports Depot and all concession stands at Regions Field. Get tickets online.
Montevallo Arts Festival
The Montevallo Arts Collaborative will have its annual Montevallo Arts Fest in Orr Park Saturday, April 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Artists and artisans from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina will line the park to display and sell their works ranging from fine arts to fine crafts. Everything from pottery to woodcrafts, printmaking to painting and jewelry to glass will be available for purchase. Children will have the opportunity to make a piece of art at no cost in the kids area. For the young and young at heart, artist Carl Carrier will be creating balloon animals. Food trucks will be there, including Frios Pops, Kona Ice and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee. Entertainment includes Logan Mason at 11 a.m., Jim Quakenbush at noon, Sarah Green Gunderson at 1 p.m., Rambling Ricky Tate at 2 p.m., the Random Mountain Ramblers at 3 p.m. and the awards ceremony at 4 p.m. Admission to the festival is free. Follow along on Facebook.
Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama
For more than a decade, the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Dothan has hosted the Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama, an exhibition of work created by Alabama students with visual impairments, blindness and deafness. The Helen Keller Art Show of Alabama emphasizes creativity, color and tactile media in the arts. The winning entry for the grand prize receives the Patty Johnson Award and it will remain in the permanent collection at Ivy Green in Tuscumbia, the birthplace of Helen Keller. The exhibit is underway through Saturday, May 20. The exhibit is available Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be an opening reception for the exhibition Thursday, April 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free for members and $5 for nonmembers.
‘Into The Woods’
The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance presents Stephen Sondheim’s and James Lapine’s iconic “Into The Woods” production through April 14 and April 20-22. The show reveals the importance of adventure, community and overcoming one’s own giants — both literally and metaphorically. Tickets can be purchased Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. in Rowand Johnson Hall or by phone at 205-348-3400. Tickets can also be purchased online at ua.universitytickets.com. More information about the production can be found at theatre.ua.edu.
‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’
Prattville’s Way Off Broadway Theatre presents “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” adapted by Jon Jory from the Sherlock Holmes mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The play, directed by Tara Fenn, will open on Thursday, April 13 and run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through April 30. For more information, call 334-595-0850 or visit prattvilleal.gov. To purchase tickets, visit cc.prattvilleal.gov.
History comes alive at Battleship Memorial Park
See history come to life at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile Saturday, April 15 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Living History Crew Drill. Interact with historical World War II reenactors aboard the USS Alabama and the USS Drum. These crewmen, dressed in World War II period Navy uniforms, hold demonstrations throughout the day, conduct weapons briefings and share stories told to them by the original crewmen. The event begins at 1 p.m. when the “Call to Battle Stations” is sounded. Grab a spot on the deck of the USS Alabama and watch as vintage enemy aircraft fly over and attack the ship. The USS Alabama crewmen will defend her with their guns blazing. Spectators will be able to take in the whole experience while the crew fires the ship’s 20 millimeter and 40 mm guns. Planes will fly based on weather conditions. The Deep South Amateur Radio Club will be broadcasting from Radio Central aboard the USS Alabama during the drill. For all ham radio operators, the call letters are K4DSR and K5LDA broadcasting between 20 and 40. The drill is open to the public and included with general admission. Battleship Memorial Park is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last ticket sold at 4 p.m. For more information, visit Facebook at USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park or call 251-327-8750. USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is at 2703 Battleship Parkway in Mobile.
History comes alive at Battleship Memorial Park April 15. (contributed)
Fido Fest
The Summit in Birmingham will host its annual Fido Festival Saturday, April 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Partnering with friends and retailers, The Summit will create an afternoon that celebrates our four-legged friends and benefits the Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS). Events include live music from Tim Brice, face painters, caricature artists, food trucks, lawn games, pet-friendly vendors, on-site dog adoptions with GBHS (all dogs must be leashed) and numerous activities for pets and guests to enjoy. Admission to the festival is free. For more information, visit thesummitbirmingham.com or gbhs.org or call 205- 967-0111.
