Can’t Miss Alabama: March shines a light on women’s history
Honor trailblazing women from around the state. (Getty Images)
Women’s History Month
Here are some creative and educational events taking place across the state:
- March 5, 12, 19, 26: Women’s History Month, Mobile Parks and Recreation.
- March 1-31: Women’s Month 2024 films, Alabama Public Television. Watch live or stream stories about influential women in Alabama and beyond.
- March 16: Holi Festival, Birmingham Museum of Art.
- March 16: Inaugural HerPower Walk, Huntsville Parks and Recreation.
- March 19: Women of the Kaul Wildflower Garden, Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
- March 26: Leading Ladies On Stage: The Women Who Tell Our Stories, Westin Huntsville.
- Ongoing: Thomasville’s Women Making History, Thomasville Public Library.
Celebrate Indian culture at the Holi Festival March 16 at the Birmingham Museum of Art. (contributed)
Celebrate Indian culture at the Holi Festival March 16 at the Birmingham Museum of Art. (contributed)
Cottontail’s Village
Find the perfect Easter basket, gifts, arts, crafts, children’s clothing, food, jewelry, spring décor and related items at Cottontail’s Village Festival March 1-3 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. The festival features more than 200 booths and vendors from across the country. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 and children ages 6 and younger are admitted free. For more information, follow this link.
Renew Our Rivers
This year, Renew Our Rivers (ROR) is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The first cleanup of 2024 is Saturday, March 2, along Valley Creek in Birmingham, Bessemer and Providence. Those interested in volunteering should email Hana Berres at burwinklej@jccal.org or call 205-325-8741. ROR is a national-award-winning campaign originated by Alabama Power in 2000. Since its start, more than 131,000 volunteers have removed more than 8,3oo tons of trash and debris from rivers, lakes and creeks across four Southeastern states. For the complete ROR schedule, visit apcshorelines.com.
Lend a helping hand to Renew Our Rivers as volunteers celebrate the program’s silver anniversary. (Wynter Byrd / Alabama News Center)
Birmingham Restaurant Week
The winter edition of Birmingham Restaurant Week is underway through Sunday, March 3. This premier dining-out event features locally owned restaurants, cafés, bars and food trucks in Jefferson and Shelby counties. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner prix-fixe menus ranging from $5 to $50 per person. Click here for participating restaurants.
Exceptional Foundation Chili Cook-Off
The Exceptional Foundation will host its annual Chili Cook-Off Saturday, March 2, at Brookwood Village near Birmingham from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate for live music, beverages, kids’ activities and all-you-can-eat chili. Children ages 12 and younger are free. Alabama Power’s Renew Our Rivers program, one of the nation’s largest river cleanup projects, is supporting the event. Proceeds directly benefit The Exceptional Foundation’s programs for adults and youth with intellectual disabilities.
Enjoy family entertainment at the Exceptional Foundation Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, March 2, at Brookwood Village. (contributed)
Selma Bridge Crossing
Spend a weekend in Selma March 1-3 to commemorate the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and the Selma to Montgomery March, and the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Selma and the Alabama Black Belt were among the battlegrounds for the voting rights movement that resulted in the passage of the Voting Rights Act. For the full schedule, updated information or tickets, click here. Events include a parade, golf, a festival and more. If it rains, the event will relocate to the former Concordia College Campus.
Festival of Tulips
Stroll through American Village in Montevallo to see pinks, rosy reds, soft oranges and fiery red-and-yellow blend tulips. The blooms are not quite at their peak but will be in about a week to 10 days, organizers say. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., as long as the tulips are blooming. Check the website for field conditions before your visit. Food trucks will be onsite each Saturday during the festival. Admission is $5 per person and tulips (including the bulb) are available for purchase. For more information, follow this link.
Festival of Tulips is open at American Village. (contributed)
