Home ♃ Recent Stories ☄ People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu

People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu

3002
0
J. Anthony Brown

TODAY

COMEDIAN CASIO KID at the StarDome, 7 p.m.

LIVE BAND KARAOKE JAM SESSIONS, 7 – 11 p.m. at the Perfect Note.

OLIVIA’S HAPPY HOUR, every Thursday at Olivia’s Bar and Lounge with $.50 wings and drink specials, 4 p.m. For more call (205) 326-2881.

JOSÉ CARR WITH JAZZ ON FIRST, 7-10 p.m. at Jazzy’s on First Avenue North.

LIVE AT STEEL, 8 p.m. with SHARRON performing and DJ DUBB in the Mix at Steel on First at 23rd Street, downtown Birmingham. Get your live music and dance on every Thursday night.

THE HIGH DIVERS, FRANCES & THE FOUNDATION and LINES IN THE SKY, 9 p.m. at The Nick.

LAWRENCE, WALKER LUKENS and B. SNIPES at Saturn.

 

FRIDAY

DJ CED AT THE TIDE AND TIGER on Graymont Avenue.

FRIDAY UNWIND, every Friday, 7 p.m. at Jazzi’s on 3rd.

COMEDIAN J. ANTHONY BROWN at the StarDome Comedy Club.

FANCY FRIDAYS, 5 p.m. featuring JILLIAN GRAY with YARBROUGH & COMPANY every Friday at Legends on 18th Street North, Downtown. Birmingham. This is an After Work Experience hosted by Keely and Tiger and catered by Chef Jones. Call (205) 212-4406 for more.

PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.

BOHANNONS, ALABAMA ROSE, ELLE EXXE and WHEN PARTICLES COLLIDE, 9 p.m. at the Nick.

SAXOPHONIST JEANETTE HARRIS, 8 p.m., at the Perfect Note.

JULIEN BAKER and BITTER at Saturn.

 

SATURDAY

VILLAGE TO VILLAGE 10K in Mountain Brook. Register at www.village2village10k.com.

JOHN PIZZARELLI at the Alys Stephens Center.

NATURAL HAIR & HEALTH EXPO at the BJCC.

SAXOPHONIST JEANETTE HARRIS, 8 p.m. at the Perfect Note.

RAILROAD PARK is where the fun is Saturday.

DJ CED AT THE TIDE AND TIGER on Graymont.

SOULFUL SATURDAY at Steel 1st and 23rd Club.

VITA AND THE WOOLF, LUNAR VILLAGE AND UNTRY, p.m. at The Nick.

COMEDIAN J. ANTHONY BROWN at the StarDome Comedy Club.

COLONY HOUSE and DEEP SEA DIVER, 8 p.m. at Saturn.

 

SUNDAY

ROZAMOV, HEXXUS and KAMIKAZE ZOMBIE, 9 p.m. at The Nick.

COMEDIAN J. ANTHONY BROWN at the StarDome Comedy Club.

NEKO CASE, 7 p.m. at Saturn.

 

MONDAY

JASON MARTIN BAND, LASTING IMPRESSIONS and J AND THE 9S, 9 p.m. at The Nick.

CARD PLAYERS SPOT at the TIDE AND TIGER, 6 – 12 p.m.

 

TUESDAY

TIDE AND TIGER HOT TUESDAY, 3 p.m. until … on Graymont across from Legion Field with $.50 wings and drink specials until 9 p.m. For more call (205) 503-3880.

OLIVIA’S HAPPY HOUR, 4 p.m., every Tuesday, at Olivia’s Bar and Lounge with $.50 wings and drink specials. For more call (205) 326-2881.

Jake Johannsen
Jake Johannsen

COMEDIAN JAKE JOHANNSEN, 7:30 p.m. at the StarDome Comedy Club.

PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.

JOSÉ CARR at the Boss Lounge, 8:30 – 11 p.m.

IMAGINARY TRICKS, UGLY SUN and BRAVE HOLIDAY at The Nick.

ADAM ADAM, RESULTS OF ADULTS and WILL STEWART at Saturn.

 

WEDNESDAY

ECONOMY CARTEL, THE CASKET KIDS and A NEW KIND OF HERO, 9 p.m. at the Nick.

WINE AND JAZZ at the Perfect Note.

OPEN MIC NIGHT at the Oak Hill Bar & Grill.

 

NEXT THURSDAY

GHOST PARKER AND THE INVISIBLE BAND and ERIC SOMMER at The Nick.

COMEDIAN DALE JONES at the StarDome Comedy Club.

 

FOR FOOD LOVERS

A TASTE OF HOMEWOOD 2017 – The Homewood Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 16th Annual Taste of Homewood, TODAY, 5:30 – 8 p.m. at the Rosewood Hall at 2850 19th Street South. The Taste of Homewood has become a tradition in Homewood— showcasing the Chamber’s growing number of restaurant and food-based Members while providing the public a chance to sample some of their dishes, ranging from classic favorites to unique creations. This Homewood-favorite event will feature more than 25 Homewood-area restaurants, caterers, bakeries, coffee shops and beverage merchants. Proceeds from the event will go to the Chamber’s scholarship fund for local students as well as economic development efforts in the community. For more, go to www.homewoodchamber.org.

 

FOR ART LOVERS

AT UA

FREEDOM? – An exhibition FREEDOM? at the University of Alabama in the Paul Jones Gallery, through April 28.

 

AT THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART

HOLI: A FESTIVAL OF COLOR, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. FREE. Enjoy classical Indian and Bollywood style dancing, music , food, storytelling, art-making and gallery exploration. Wear something that you do not mind getting a little messy as it will end with the traditional throwing of colors on persons.

SLOW ART SUNDAY, 2-3 p.m. Free.

 

AT THE BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS

ART GALLERY, open all month long.

 

FOR COMEDY LOVERS

AT THE STARDOME:

J. Anthony Brown
J. Anthony Brown

THIS WEEKEND: COMEDIAN J. ANTHONY BROWN! J. Anthony Brown is a titanic comedic force! His sidesplitting antics and sensibilities have set a precedent that many now follow. Whether he is murdering the hits with his off key version of the latest song, or donning a pink pimp suit to evoke a laugh, Brown will get to your funny bone. His penchant for alligator shoes and rainbow colored suits convey his “party time” approach for fun.

JAKE JOHANNSEN. Tuesday ONLY, 7 p.m. at the StarDome…Jake Johannsen made his comedic debut at San Francisco’s Cobbs Comedy Club during an open mic night. In 1986, he won the 11th Annual San Francisco Stand Up Comedian Competition. Jake has appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” 45 times. He has appeared in the “HBO Young Comedian’s Special” and PBS’s “Comedy Tonight” series, and was the host of Comedy Central’s series, “Two Drink Minimum”. He has also been nominated as “Best Male Stand-Up Comedian” for the American Comedy Awards.

THAT TAX BREAD DUN DROPPED: IT’S ON COMEDY SHOW, March 11, Saturday at Bennie Mac’s on First, 4831 First Avenue North with MICHAEL STATHAM, IVORY CORLEY and DJ GEORGE.

 

FOR STUDENTS

UAB SCHOOL OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS HOSTS FUTURE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS – The Office for Student Recruitment, Engagement and Success at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Health Professions is hosting HOSA Day 2017 for Alabama high school students interested in healthcare occupations. Registration is open now and will close at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 10. The event will be held at the UAB Campus Recreation Center (1513 University Boulevard) from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, April 5. HOSA Day introduces attendees to rewarding careers available in health professions. The goal of HOSA Day is to inspire students to become the healthcare professionals of the future. Demonstrations, informative presentations, brochures, giveaways, and refreshments will highlight the event. The registration form is available by email request to shp@uab.edu. High school

student groups enrolled in a health science, an organized health career awareness program, or those pursuing a career in health professions are invited to attend.

BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART INTERNSHIPS – If you are looking for a summer internship, BMA interns work with the Museum staff on projects related to their career interests and are introduced to other facets of museum work while gaining experience. Applications are due on April 1.

INTRODUCTION TO DRAWING – Discover the foundations of drawing while exploring classic and contemporary techniques for drawing the world around and within us. Courses are for adults and students grades 6 – 12. Registration ends soon.

 

FOR MUSIC LOVERS AND SPOKEN WORD

RADIO HEROES – The PILLARS QUARTET and the Jefferson County Sound will perform at the Carver Theatre, TODAY, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. FREE. This production of the Birmingham Black Radio Museum and Four Octave Productions in partnership with Urban Impact, Inc. will include contributions of radio announcer and activist Paul “Tall Paul” White.

BO BERRY QUARTET, 7 p.m. to midnight every Friday at Jazzi’s on 3rd.

LIVE BAND and KARAOKE, 8-11 p.m., day, at the Perfect Note.

SAXOPHONIST JEANETTE HARRIS, 8 p.m. at the Perfect Note, Friday and Saturday.

JAZZ JAM SESSIONS, every Fourth Sunday, 6 p.m. at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (Carver Theatre), except for Christmas.

SPOKEN WORD OPEN MIC NIGHT, every Third Sunday, 7 p.m. at the Carver Theatre.

STUDENT JAZZ BAND FESTIVAL, April 20-22 at the Jazz Hall of Fame, Carver Theatre. New Student Roll Call for 2017 Saturday Jazz classes for new students coming soon.

 

FOR OUTDOOR LOVERS

SATURDAY DAY HIKE – Southeastern Outings Day Hike at Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest – DETAILS:

Moderately strenuous four-mile hike in a highly scenic location, Upper Quillan Creek Forest Area. Most of the hike is off trail with lots of ups and downs, and several rock-hopping crossings are required across small creeks. Walk along a creek and an old road to a nice waterfall, stop for lunch at the site of an old mill, see several small waterfalls on side creeks and tributaries to Quillan Creek, visit at least two other pretty waterfalls on Quillan Creek itself along the way and finish about 4 p.m. Bring lunch and water for the day with an optional dinner after. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 9 and over able to walk four miles off trail without complaining welcome. Reservations Required: Call, to reserve or cancel, Dan Frederick, (205) 631-4680 or email your reservation by 5 p.m. today to seoutings@bellsouth.net and leave either your phone number or email address. There is a limit of 20 people.

SUNDAY DAY HIKE, 1 p.m. – Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Day Hike in Oak Mountain State Park – DETAILS:

Enjoy a moderate four mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon. This is an excellent outing for introducing your friends to Southeastern Outings and for making new friends who enjoy the outdoors.

Parts of this hike may be off the color-coded trails. There will be some ups and downs. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 8 and up able to walk the distance of about four miles and complete the hike are welcome. Share an adventure! Bring a friend. Depart 1 p.m. from the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot. Bring $5/person ($2 seniors) park admission fee plus your drink. For more info call Edd Spencer, (205) 991-1045.

 

FOR MOTORSPORTS LOVERS

HONORING DATE EARNHARDT JR.’S RETURN TO THE DRIVER’S SEAT – Talladega Superspeedway’s popular “Two for $88” Dale Jr. ticket package is back for the May 7 GEICO 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in celebration of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s return to the driver’s seat this past week for the Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr., a six-time winner at Talladega, including the 2015 GEICO 500, made his homecoming to the sport after being sidelined for the second half of 2016 due to medical reasons. While in Daytona for Speedweek, he showed he was in tip-top form, first capturing a front-row starting spot for the Daytona 500, then dominating his Duel qualifying race, and on Sunday, leading eight laps in the 500. He was in a great position to go for the win, but while running fourth on lap 104, got caught up in an accident that happened directly in front of him. Dale Jr. is the only driver in history to win four consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events at NASCAR’s Most Competitive track, Talladega Superspeedway (2001-03), and trails only his Dad – Dale Earnhardt Sr., who has 10 Talladega Cup triumphs – at the 2.66-mile mammoth venue. The Talladega “Two for $88” Dale Jr. ticket package offers fans a $42 savings off the regular price for two Lincoln Grandstand tickets to the May 7 GEICO 500 – where the winner is all but guaranteed a spot in the 2017 Playoffs for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title. The offer is for a limited time only. For more information, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/dalejr.

 

FOR WOMEN

AT THE BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is hosting several events during the month of March

MARCH: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

March 17: 6 p.m. – Women’s History Month Program.” The Women Gather,” BCRI’s annual program that features and honors women via dance, spoken word, poetry and music. Community Meeting Room

March 24: 6 p.m. – “Still Standing” – a discussion with singer and performer Melba Moore about her one-woman show, “STILL STANDING: The Melba Moore Story.” Community Meeting Room

 

FOR BOOK LOVERS

Birmingham Bound Author Series at the Birmingham Public Library

A MIND TO STAY: WHITE PLANTATION: BLACK HOMELAND – SIDNEY NATHANS, author of “A Mind To Stay: White Plantation, Black Homeland,” will speak on Monday, 6 p.m. in the fourth floor Arrington Auditorium in the Linn-Henley Research Library, 2100 Park Place. Nathan is a historian who used the Birmingham Public Library Archives Department to research a book about African Americans who moved from being slaves to homeowners. Nathan’s author talk/book signing is among two taking place in March as part of BPL’s Birmingham Bound author series. Free and open to the public.

RECONSTRUCTION IN ALABAMA: FROM CIVIL WAR TO REDEMPTION IN THE COTTON SOUTH – On Monday, March 20, at 6 p.m. inside Arrington Auditorium, author Michael W. Fitzgerald will discuss his book “Reconstruction in Alabama: From Civil War to Redemption in the Cotton South.” Reconstruction in Alabama is the first new study of this critical period in Alabama’s history to be published in decades. Fitzgerald, professor of history at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, explores the impact of Reconstruction and its aftermath from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. The Birmingham Bound author series recognizes authors who researched their books in the Birmingham Public Library Archives. Historians, journalists, and other writers from around the world have produced hundreds of books using the Archives’ collections and these books include five recipients of the Pulitzer Prize. Free and open to the public.

 

AT THE BIRMINGHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY

BIRMINGHAM AFRICAN AMERICAN GENEALOGY – The Birmingham Public Library is hosting the Birmingham African American Genealogy Group’s remaining 2017. Here is the class schedule. The group meets monthly on Sundays, 3-5 p.m. at the Central Library.

SUNDAY – Essentials of Genealogy, 3-5:30 p.m. at the Central Library.

APRIL 9 – Alabama’s B-centennial Celebration and BAAGG’s 20th Year Anniversary in 2019

MAY 21 – Introduction to Case Studies 1 & 2, 3-5:30 p.m. at the Central Library.

JUNE 11 – Virtual trip to Alabama Department of Archives and History, 3-5:30 p.m. at the Central Library.

JULY 9 – Youth in Genealogy, 3-5:30 p.m. at the Central Library.

AUGUST 13 – Introduction to Railroad Retirement Records, 3-5:30 p.m. at the Central Library.

SEPTEMBER 10 – BAAGG visit to LDS Center in Vestavia Hills at the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Church

OCTOBER 8 – Convict Leasing and Parke Papers, 3-5:30 p.m. at the Central Library.

NOVEMBER 12 – Introduction to the digital library and digital scanning services at Birmingham Public Library’s Southern History Department, 3-5:30 p.m. at the Central Library

DECEMBER 10 – BAAGG Holiday Social and Awards (time and place to be determined)

MONEY MATTERS – The workshops will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in the Linn-Henley Research Library’s Regional Library Computer Center on the 4th Floor, 2100 Park Place. The workshop series, called Money Matters, is held the first Wednesday of each month. 4/5/2017 – Saving Through Tax Refunds and 5/3/2017 – Five Keys to Investing Success. For additional information, call (205) 226-3691.

 

FOR THE COMMUNITY LOVERS

FREE TAX PREPARATION – SAVEFIRST – The nonprofit’s SaveFirst initiative has started the efforts to provide free income tax preparation services to working families making up to $53,000/year with kids in the home or $20,000/year without kids in the home. Interested individuals should call 1-888-99-TAX-AL for a free appointment. The tax preparation service is aimed at assisting families eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The EITC is the federal government’s largest and most successful antipoverty program for low-income, working families. Impact Alabama’s annual free tax preparation services for working families will be available at five locations in the Birmingham area – Bessemer, Roebuck, Smithfield, West End, and Woodlawn.

TAX SITE INFORMATION:

BIRMINGHAM – SMITHFIELD LOCATION

Birmingham Public Libraries, Smithfield Branch #1 – 8th Ave W, Birmingham, AL 35204

BIRMINGHAM – WEST END LOCATION

Birmingham Public Libraries, West End Branch 1348 Tuscaloosa Ave SW, Birmingham, AL 35211

BIRMINGHAM – WOODLAWN LOCATION

Birmingham Public Libraries, Woodlawn Branch 5709 1st Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35212

BIRMINGHAM – ROEBUCK LOCATION

Springville Road Library 1224 Old Springville Rd, Birmingham, AL 35215

BESSEMER LOCATION

Bessemer Public Library 400 19th St N, Bessemer, AL 35020

 

FOR BUSINESS LOVERS

BIZWOMEN MENTORING MONDAY – Meet your mentor, April 3, at Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa.

 

COMING SOON

MARCH 16 – ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY PUBLIC MEETING, at the BJCC, East Exhibition Hall – 3 p.m.

MARCH 24 – CHRIS ROCK at the BJCC.

MARCH 26 – U. S. ARMY FIELD BAND & SOLDIERS CHORUS at the Alys Stephens Center. FREE.

MAY 6 – ERYKAH BADU, KENNY BABYFACE EDMONDS, GOODIE MOB, JOE and more at FUNKFEST at Legion Field

MAY 6-7 – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY SPRING RACES at Talladega, Alabama.

MAY 12 – JAZZNET at the Harbert Center.

 

Well, that’s it. Tell you more next time.

(People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column. Send comments to my emails:

thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.com or gwenderu@yahoo.com.