75th ANNUAL MAGIC CITY CLASSIC , the most anticipated football classic in the world, right here in Birmingham.
AND, IT IS HALLOWEEN, TOO!
TODAY
HAPPIER HOUR with AAF, 5:30 – 7 p.m. at the Cahaba Brewing for all you advertising folks.
TAILGATERS GET READY with ZAPP BAND, GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, LOGAN THE ENTERTAINER and more, 5-6 p.m. exhibition and 6 p.m. festival at Legion Field Stadium in the bus parking lot behind the fire station #14 on Graymont Avenue West. FREE!!!
TASTE OF THE MAGIC CITY, 5-8:30 p.m. at MAKEbham.
PASH PARTY, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at The Beer Hog in Pelham.
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.
RICKEY SMILEY KARAOKE LIVE AFTER HOURS at the Merienda Lounge.
LIVE AT STEEL, 8 p.m. with SHARRON performing and DJ DUBB in the Mix at Steel on First Avenue at 23rd Street, downtown Birmingham. Get your live music and dance on every Thursday night.
MAGIC CITY CLASSIC OPENING CEREMONY, at the Wine Loft with Music by DJ Big Sweatt.
POSITIVELY FUNNY IMPROV at the StarDome Comedy Club at 7:30 p.m.
MADNESS BEFORE THE CLASSIC featuring STREET SCHOLAR and Q DOT DAVIS at The Nick.
SCANTRON 5000 TRIVIA at Saturn.
FRIDAY
RICKEY SMILEY MORNING SHOW, 4:30 a.m. at the BJCC Concert Hall.
2016 MAGIC CITY CLASSIC SCHOLARSHIP BREAKFAST, 7 a.m. at the Harbert Center with BOBBY HUMPHREY as speaker and Ronda Robinson-McKenzie, FOX 6 News emcee.
JUST A FEW CATS, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Sloss Furnace. Go to www.impeccabletaste.com for more.
ON THE PATIO AT THE TIDE AND TIGER on Graymont Avenue.
KINGS & QUEENS DAY PARTY 5 HOURS OPEN BAR, noon – 5 p.m. at the Wine Loft with music by DJ JUKEBOX and hosted by TYRESSATY
FRIDAY UNWIND, every Friday, 7 p.m. at Jazzi’s on 3rd.
DEL MCCOURY BAND with DAVID GRISMAN at the Alys Stephens Center.
COMEDIAN SOMMORE at the StarDome Comedy Club.
HOWLS AND GROWLS, 7 p.m. at Iron City.
BOO HALLOWEEN PARTY, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the B&A Warehouse.
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.
KYLE KIMBRELL BAND CD Release w/ ADAM ADAM & THE FUTURE BABES at The Nick.
NOTHING BUT THIEVES and THE WRECKS at the Saturn.
FLUTIST ALTHEA RENEE at the Perfect Note.
SATURDAY
ALL TREATS NO TRICKS, 11 a.m. at Coyote Drive-In Theater.
TRICKS, TREATS & TRAILS, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Red Mountain Park.
95.7 JAMZ GAMEDAY TAILGATE @ Coors Village, 10 a.m. at Legion Field.
RAILROAD PARK is where the fun is Saturday.
ON THE PATIO AT THE TIDE AND TIGER on Graymont.
COMEDIAN SOMMORE at the StarDome Comedy Club.
THE MAGIC CITY CLASSIC, 3 p.m. at Legion Field.
SOULFUL SATURDAY at Steel 1st and 23rdClub.
THE ROCKY HORROR MASQUERADE BALL, 8:30 – 11 p.m. at the Alabama Theatre.
MR. SIPP 8 p.m. at the Perfect Note.
BEITTHEMEANS, LEADERDOG and MOTH FACE at The Nick.
LIVING VENUE YOGA, 8 p.m. at Saturn.
HBCU HALLOWEEN COLLEGE MAGIC CITY CLASSIC QUEENS SHUTDOWN, 10 p.m. at Club M with FUNNYMAINE an DJ NEW ERA
SUNDAY
SLOW ART SUNDAY, 2-3 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art with Marlean Wallace
COMEDIAN KING KOUNTRY WAYNE at the StarDome Comedy Club.
MOUNTAIN BASTARD, HIGHER’N HELL and CRIMSON MASK at the Nick.
MONDAY
HEXXUS, KAMIKAZE ZOMBIE, MAGGOT GAG, and THE CASKET KIDS at The Nick.
TUESDAY
TIDE AND TIGER ON THE PATIO, 4 p.m. until … on Graymont across from Legion Field.
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.
PLUM BAR on 17th Street, Downtown.
ROD MELANCON, ZACH + CHEYLOE, HUNNICUTT WILLIS and MAX NORTON at The Nick.
COMEDIAN JEN KOBER at the StarDome Comedy Club.
WEDNESDAY
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, 4 – 10 p.m. at the Cahaba Brewing Company.
MASTER PASQUALE with dance classes and music at the Tide and Tiger on Graymont Avenue.
SAMVEGA , THE HEAVY CHILDREN and DEAD BROKE at the Nick.
COMEDIAN JEN KOBER at the StarDome Comedy Club.
FOR CHILDREN
HALLOWEEN IS THIS SATURDAY ALL TREATS NO TRICKS, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Outlet Shops of Grand River in the Coyote Drive-In theater, across from Forever 21. There will be bounce houses, face painting, gift basket auction, costume contest at 2 p.m., complimentary photographs, children’s activities, coloring books, pumpkin decorating, arts and crafts and more.
FOR MUSIC LOVERS
JUST A FEW CATS, Friday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Sloss Furnace.
BO BERRY QUARTET, 7 p.m. to midnight every Friday at Jazzi’s on 3rd.
CLASSSIC JAZZ NIGHT with FLUTIST ALTHEA RENEE at the Perfect Note in Hoover at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday night. Go to www,perfectnotelive,com for more.
CLASSIC BLUES NIGHT with MR. SIPP “THE MISSISSIPPI BLUES CHILD’ at the Perfect Note in Hoover at 8 p.m. Saturday night. Go to www.perfectnotelive.com for more.
DEL MCCOURY BAND with DAVID GRISMAN, 7 at the Alys Stephens Center. Celebrate the nearly 50-year bluegrass friendship these two legendary musicians share, and one of the RARE occasions this year to enjoy the entire Del McCoury Band and their special guest, DAWG!
GUCCI MANE at the BJCC on November 11th. (Look for more).
FOR FOOD LOVERS
TASTE OF THE CLASSIC – Today, CHEF DEIDRA has food and music, the best of it all with a Chicken and Waffle Station, Shrimp and Grits Station, Omelet Station, Carving Station, Dessert Station and Buffet Line, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Sloss Furnace in the East Ballroom and music by JUST A FEW CATS. For more, go to impeccabletastebham.commusic.
A TASTE OF MAGIC CITY – Today, 5 – 8:3O p.m. to the 6th Annual Taste of the Magic City, an evening of great food and live music at MAKEbhm in Avondale! This is one of Birmingham’s greatest new venues and great food from local Local establishments such as Alabev, B & A Warehouse, Bistro V, Black Sheep Kitchen, Buffalo Rock, Chris Z’s, East 59 Café, Galley & Garden, Happy Catering, Holmsted Fines, Jack Brown’s, Jim N’ Nicks, Mook’s Cheese Straws, O’Henry’s, The Abbey, The Fish Market, Tre Luna, Yellow Bicycle, Wasabi Juan’s, Zoe’s and more along with other favorites such as Chick-fil-A will fill you up while you enjoy music from Joe Breckenridge, Robert Irwin and other entertainment. MAKEbhm is a community space filled with local artisans such as Susan Gordon, maker of small batch pottery. Her amazing work, with detailed, timeless and organic look and feel, will be available for sale at the event. Adding to the “Taste” theme will be sampling of sounds from some of Birmingham’s finest musicians. More details on this will be announced soon. There will also be drawings for wonderful prizes that will help benefit the life-changing work at M-POWER. BE prepared for an evening where all your senses will be delighted – sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
FOR ART LOVERS
AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL: SEEN THROUGH A FOREIGNER’S EYES, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in Tuscaloosa until Friday.
SLOW ART SUNDAY – This Slow Art Sunday at the Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA) Master Docent Julia Stork will lead a talk on GLORIA VICTIS by Antonin Mercie at 2 p.m.
OCTOBER SPOTLIGHT ON THE COLLECTION – DON WOOD, Senator Curator and Curator of Asian Art at the BMA will discuss the history of tomb guardians in the ancient south of China state of Chu. By studying Chu art and poetry, we can learn a lot about what they thought of death and the afterlife.
ART AFTER 5 – The BMA’s next Art After 5 is scheduled for November 4, (every first Friday of the month). DJ JOLLY WAXWIND and local songwriters KELLI JOHNSON and JASON BAILEY will perform whether you are grabbing drinks or staying for dinner.
“DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. & THE CHICAGO FREEDOM MOVEMENT: PHOTOGRAPHS BY BERNARD J. KILEINA Exhibition” is at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute displaying its collection of rare color photos, through December in the BCRI’s Vann Gallery. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Freedom Movement. These photographs are some of the only known color photographs of Dr. King in Chicago. Bernard Kleina was a priest in Chicago that wanted to get involved in the movement, who removed his collar, picked up his camera and marched.
FOR SPORTS LOVERS
NASCAR CAME TO TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY AND ALABAMA – Alabama native GRANT ENFINGER won the NASCAR fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Talladega Superspeedway. Martin Truex, Jr. won the Sprint Cup. Joey Logano won the HELLMANN’s 500. People from all over the world – 50 states and 20 countries were in Alabama for almost a week. Great food including mouth-watering beef, famous hot-dogs, tasty vegetables and more was planned and prepared by Americrown Vice President RISHI NIGAM for those enjoying the good times in the suites. The service and the food were all great. There were other tasty foods at the many vendors located on the grounds of Talladega Superspeedway from all over.
THIS SUNDAY
NEW – NASCAR SEASONS: 2001 Immediately following this Sunday’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage at Martinsville Speedway, NBCSN presents “NASCAR Seasons: 2001,” a new, 60-minute documentary that chronicles a NASCAR season and a year that will never be forgotten. Unfolding through Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death at the 2001 Daytona 500, the enormous outpouring of emotions that followed, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s stirring victory at the July Daytona race, “NASCAR Seasons: 2001” also covers the sport’s passionate reaction to the tragic events of the September 11th attacks. The story of this unforgettable year illustrates how NASCAR’s legion of supporters came together at times of sorrow and jubilation to exhibit a tremendous sense of unity, and how the experiences of 2001 generated several advancements in safety that continue to evolve today. “NASCAR Seasons: 2001” premieres Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The special features interviews with winner of the 2001 Sprint Cup Championship, Jeff Gordon, and fellow drivers Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty, Tony Stewart and Elliott Sadler. In addition, the documentary includes interviews with former NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol, and longtime NASCAR senior executive Mike Helton, as they recall the challenges, healing and ultimately the pride that surrounded the sport and its millions of fans.
FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS
NAACP BIENNIAL ELECTION OF OFFICERS – The Metro Birmingham NAACP Biennial Election of officers and at-large members of the Executive Committee meetings will be held at the Birmingham Public Library, 2100 Park Place downtown, Saturday, NOVEMBER 5, Noon – 4 p.m. – Election. For more, call Secretary at (205) 714-5860.
FOR COMEDY LOVERS
AT THE STARDOME: Every Thursday is Positively Funny Improv. Check out COMEDIAN SOMMORE. Sommore has appeared on various shows including HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo, ComicView, and BET Live from L.A. She has also done guest appearances on television sitcoms The Hughleys and The Parkers, and she has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She also appeared on Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav. In 2008, she appeared as one of the mob members on several episodes of the game show 1 vs. 100. She is one of the original Queens of Comedy.
JEN KOBER- November 2-6, Originally from Lake Charles, Louisiana, Kober has recently relocated to Los Angeles where she has quickly become a nationally known headliner- playing colleges, casinoes and comedy clubs all over the country and bringing crowds to their feet with her original blend of stand-up, storytelling and improvised rock-n-roll comedy.
FOR BOOK LOVERS
RECOVERING THE CLASSICS CONTEST – The BPL winners were as follows: ADULT: 1st: Metamorphosis by Julie Borden, 2nd: The Time Machine by Eric Poland and 3rd: Cyrano de Bergerac by Veronique Vanblaere
YOUTH: 1st: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Alexandra Foreman, 2nd: A Tale of Two Cities by Zoe Jacks, 3rd: The Secret Garden by Emma Thornsberry. ADULT HONORABLE MENTIONS: Frankenstein by Hillary Floyd and The Secret Garden by Amber Orr. YOUTH HONORABLE MENTIONS: Around the World in Eighty Days by Elle Squires, Moby Dick by Hunter Criddle, The Three Musketeers by Cecilia Kong and Arabian Nights by Rachael George.
BPL TEENS PROGRAMS – Birmingham Public Library programs for teens and preteens include engineering workshop, knitting, and homework assistance.
Do you want to learn how to make and edit your own movies and podcasts? Have an interest in burning your words into new media formats for the world to see and hear? Join the Central Library Youth Department, 2100 Park Place downtown, for HIGHKEY THURSDAYS, 3:30 -5 p.m. The class is free to all and will take place in the Youth Department on the second floor every Thursday afternoon through Dec. 8. No programs will take place on today or Nov. 24. The students will work with iMovie, Garageband, and more. HIGHKEY Thursdays is among several free after-school programs the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is offering in many of its 19 locations for kids of all ages, from babies to adults. The workshops include knitting, Teens Engineer Birmingham programs at Woodlawn and Southside Branch, and Central Library, and 1-2-3 Play With Me for babies.
FREE HOMEWORK HELP – The library is offering free homework help for elementary- to high school-age students. Register by calling (205) 324-8428. Check the calendar at www.bponline.org. .
COMING SOON
NOVEMBER 3 – DK 2 GALLERY OPENING RECEPTION in Homewood.
NOVEMBER 3 – OPERA SHOTS at Good People Brewing Company.
NOVEMBER 5 and 6 – MOSS ROCK FESTIVAL at the Preserve in Hoover.
NOVEMBER 5 – SEMINAR-Stress Less and Live More by Joyce Brooks at Shades Crest Park Community Room, Noon – 4 p.m.
NOVEMBER 5 – UPTOWN SATURDAY, 9 p.m. with DJ MAVERICK
NOVEMBER 5 – RED AND BLACK BALL, 8 p.m. at the Firemen’s Union Hall.
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.)
