GWEN DERU
TODAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Get all the latest news
**COMEDIAN ROCKY DALE DAVIS at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**WATCH A MOVIE …FREAKY at Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema.
FRIDAY…
**COMEDIAN ROCKY DALE DAVIS at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**MOVIE NIGHT: Still time to enjoy the outdoors!! Check out some old, new, but good flicks/movies and show on a sheet in the backyard for the young and young at heart. Fun in the outdoors (Light a little fire in your fire pit, if needed) while the weather is still good.!
**EPITOME BOUTIQUE, at 1676 Montclair Road. For all of the stylish fashions you better check it out. For more go to: www.shopepitomeboutique.com or call (205) 667-2477. Tell them Gwen sent you.
SATURDAY…
**SATURDAYS IN THE GARDENS at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
**WINE DOWN HAPPY HOUR, 4-9 p.m. at Saferoom Lounge Bar.
**COMEDIAN ROCKY DALE DAVIS at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**FUN, GAMES, YARD AND HOUSE WORK including Uno, Monopoly, Solitaire. Raking Leaves. Times are changing soon.
SUNDAY…
**FAMILY TIME, GOOD FOOD AND MOVIES.
**COMEDIAN ROCKY DALE DAVIS at the StarDome Comedy Club.
MONDAY…
**Head to the Birmingham Zoo GLOW WILD…enjoy the weather and the fun.
**READ A GOOD BOOK…There are a few on the bookshelves, just lying around are some to read …or you can get an e-book. Read.
**COMEDIAN RICKEY SMILEY at the StarDome Comedy Club.
TUESDAY…
**READ A REAL GOOD BOOK…You might like the book by President Barack Obama – A PROMISED LAND… book has hit the stands! Check it out!
WEDNESDAY…
**INTERFAITH NOONDAY PRAYER SERVICES every Wednesday, Noon at Linn Park in Downtown Birmingham.
**FALL WEATHER, LEAVE WATCHING …THE WEEK AND WEEKEND. Looking for the weekend and thinking of what to do that depends on good weather outdoors. Getting out of the house even if going nowhere…. Take a walk if the weather is good.
**COMEDIAN MARVIN DIXON at the StarDome Comedy Club.
THURSDAY…
**HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVINGS DAY!!!
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
NEXT FRIDAY…
**MOVIE NIGHT: Rent and Watch movies at Sidewalkfest.com. Don’t miss FREAKY …and other movies at Sidewalk Cinema.
**COMEDIANS DADDAZZ AND MELISSA at the StarDome Comedy Club.
FOR COMMUNITY LOVERS…
**VIRTUAL JOB FAIR – You are Invited to Virtual Job Fair 2020, TODAY, by Congresswoman Terri Sewell. It is FREE and OPEN to the Public. Registration is required via Eventbrite. Get more information at Sewell.house.gov.
**THANKSGIVING DINNER at Linn Park, Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with free food boxes, clothes hygiene kits,
**PRISM LAUNCHED – The Birmingham Zoo and the Greater Birmingham Arts Education Collaborative along with numerous participating arts, cultural and science organizations has launched Prism, an online directory of resources to help students of all ages experience arts, culture and science safely. Prism is a searchable directory of socially-distanced resources that help stimulate curiosity and creativity at home and at school. These high-quality lessons, activities, and tools are developed by local arts, cultural and science organizations to increase access to the benefits of STEAM education in Greater Birmingham. Resources are designed for all ages including Pre-K, K-12, and adult learners and include virtual performances, after school classes, virtual field trips, lessons for teachers, and programs for schools. Topics include music, theater, dance, creative-writing, visual art, social and emotional learning, history, environmental literacy, and more. Many resources build curiosity and creativity while supporting academic learning like reading and math.
**GIRLSPRING SEMINARS FOR GIRLS – GirlSpring is hosting Next Step Seminar – Set Yourself Up for Success for girls in Grades 8-12. Part 4 – December 3, MANAGING YOUR MONEY. Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
**INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICES – Join Greater Birmingham Ministries (GBM) every Wednesday at Noon for Interfaith Prayer Service. People of faith and goodwill are invited to join GBM and the Alabama Episcopal Church for Noonday Prayer at Linn Park in Downtown Birmingham. Clergy are invited to wear clericals. Masks and social distancing will be observed. For more, go to: www.gbm.org.
FOR LOVERS OF MUSIC, ART AND CULTURAL ENTERTAINMENT-
AT ALYS STEPHENS CENTER…
**ERIC ESSIX & HOLIDAY SOUL, 7:30 p.m. on December 13 at the Drive In Show in the parking lot 5A at 16th Street & University Blvd projected on a 40 x 80 foot screen. A MUST SEE SHOW! Call (205) 975-2787 for more.
AT THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART…
**ARTBREAK: THE HIDDEN IDENTITY OF MIGRANT LABOR, Tuesday, Noon – 12:30 p.m.
**AN EPIC OF EARTH AND WATER Claire Leighton and the New England Industries Series through May 2, 2021
**ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL through March, 2021, primarily from the Museum’s permanent collection that look at themes of power and agency. This exhibition takes its name from a painting by Amy Sherald, whose portraits depict Black sitters with pride, dignity, and joy, representation historically only afforded to white people. Some artists in the exhibition look towards power in other creative endeavors, like music. Others contemplate the hidden potential of everyday objects by transforming them into works of art. Several artists engage the representation of space and architecture–including museum spaces–to discover the dynamics of power. Considered together, these works illustrate the importance of being seen, choosing how to be depicted, and telling one’s own history.
**WAYS OF SEEING – BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS through March 2021
**WALL TO WALL -MERRITT JOHNSON through Spring 2021
BMA hours are Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays Noon – 5 p.m. with virtual offerings will continue, including live programs, meditation exercises, art-making activities and much more!
**AT STEPHEN SMITH FINE ART…
HEALERS IN THE SKY, PENTACLE IN MY HEART is a solo exhibition by LANETTE BLANKENSHIP. The Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday 12-5 p.m. at the Stephen Smith Fine Art Gallery in Fairfield. This exhibition will coincide with the Grand Opening of GYPSY TREASURE, an antique emporium located within Stephen Smith Fine Art.
FOR FALL LOVERS…
IT’S FALL! GET OUTSIDE…ENJOY THE WEATHER!!
Happy Autumn! Days are shorter, temperatures are cooler, and some of you are taking road trips …or more. NOW…What about watching fall foliage, going to the farms, pumpkin patches or enjoying a fall festival? SO, Fall lovers, rejoice! Enjoy the crisp temperatures, changing leaves, pumpkin patches, haunted houses, and all of the season. Enjoy the beautiful November weather!
FOR OUTDOOR LOVERS…
**SATURDAY DAYHIKE, Meet 9 a.m. at the new Shoal Creek Park, Montevallo, Alabama – DETAILS: Southeastern Outings has planned an easy approximately 4.1-mile hike in the new Shoal Creek Park in Montevallo. This 167-acre park has some new trails (2.1 miles and 1.6 miles) already constructed and some less developed trails. One trail does follow the creek. Total hike distance is about 4.1 miles. The park is located on both sides of Shoal Creek about two miles upstream from Orr Park on the Montevallo Parks Trail. The trail now crosses the creek on a brand new, sturdy, concrete bridge and on a wooden bridge in yet another location in the park. Restrooms in the park are now completely constructed and open for your use. Hike will be led by Bill Ennis who has adopted this park as a pet project, laid out, and built some of the trails on the hike. He has, also, designed and constructed the wooden bridge in the park. The park is located 1.1 miles south of American Village on AL Highway 119 in Montevallo. Bring your picnic lunch, water, and a hiking pole or two with you. Meet at 9 a.m. in the parking lot behind the McDonald’s on U.S. Highway 31 at the Riverchase Galleria. Depart at 9:15 a.m. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk four miles without complaining are welcome. Admission to the park is free! Info: Bill Ennis, 205/405-4636 cell or email billennis47@gmail.com.
**SUNDAY WALK, Meet 1:45 p.m. in a Forest Preserve in Homewood – DETAILS: The City of Homewood owns two forest preserves on Shades Mountain adjacent to the Homewood High School. Come and spend a relaxing two hours walking and possibly admiring fall wildflowers with us in the lower preserve. Rated moderately easy. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 6 and older welcome. Meet 1:45 p.m. in the Homewood High School east (nearest Brookwood Village Shopping Center) parking lot, just off Lakeshore Drive in Homewood. Depart at 2 p.m. Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net, phone 205/631-4680.
AT THE BIRMINGHAM ZOO…
**GLOW WILD: An Animal Lantern Celebration! This extraordinary event will be held on select nights 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. during the months of November, December, and January. Guests will be captivated by visually stunning lantern creations of wildlife from around the world. The Zoo will come alive with hundreds of marvelous animal shapes of all sizes – from pandas, elephants, cheetahs, polar bears, and whales – soaring up to 30 feet high! Spend the winter with your Birmingham Zoo. GLOW WILD into the new year!
FOR TRAVELERS OF ALL KINDS…
**VIRTUAL TRIPS – Travel online – A virtual trip can be a great way to explore destinations you might consider for a future vacation, or it may be a chance to see remarkable sights around the world that you wouldn’t get to experience otherwise.
THINGS TO DO…
…VIRTUAL THINGS TO DO…VISIT WITH BOOKS…When you need to get away from ‘whatever’, the best way is with a good book. Well, maybe the next thing to being there in person, even if virtual. Many families are eager to get out of the house and hit the road for a seasonal trip. Make your Fall Season a good one, regardless! Read a good book. Here is a book written by former President Barack Obama – A Promised Land. (Some taken from Riot Books)
BOOK: A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama
A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy. In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from a young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil. Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office. Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden. A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective—the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change,” and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible. This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.
FOR COMEDY LOVERS…
AT THE STARDOME COMEDY CLUB…
**TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY…COMEDIAN ROCKY DALE DAVIS…Rocky Dale Davis is a nationally touring comedian who has appeared on NBC’s “Bring The Funny”, E’s “Dating No Filter” and MTV’s “Greatest Party Stories”. He will be filming his 2nd Comedy Special Nov 19 at The Comedy Club StarDome.
**MONDAY… COMEDIAN RICKY SMILEY at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**WEDNESDAY…COMEDIAN MARVIN DIXON…By understanding 
that show business is indeed a business, comedian Marvin Dixon has managed to establish himself nationally while maintaining strong local ties to his loyal Miami fan base with community service. He has a phenomenal 23 year record for booking a weekly comedy show; which includes early showcases of some of the hottest comics in the game. Mike Epps, Sommore, Cedric the Entertainer, Rickey Smiley, Bruce Bruce, Guy Torrey and others can thank Dixon for being willing to support them before they hit it big.
NEXT THURSDAY…
HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
**NEXT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY…COMEDIAN DADDAZZ AND MELISSA MC…Sensational comedy couple DaddAzz and Melissa MC are coming. Hottest social media duo with over 2 million Facebook followers, selling out shows all over America, will be coming to you! Hailing from Dothan, Alabama, DaddAzz and his wife Melissa MC are now sharing laughs all over the country, and they are bringing their unique style of comedy to you for your entertainment!
**COMING SOON – COMEDIANS ROD MAN, FUNNY BY NATURE COMEDY TOUR, DARREN KNIGHT’S SOUTHERN MAMA AND EM COMEDY SHOW, LORENZO “RENNY” CROMWELL, JOHN MORGAN and more… DON’T MISS THEM!
FOR MOVIE LOVERS
AT SIDEWALK FILM FEST CENTER + CINEMA…
…AT THE CINEMA…
THROUGH SUNDAY…
*FREAKY (2020) a narrative is directed by Christopher Landon. After swapping bodies with a deranged serial killer, a young girl in high school discovers she has less than 24 hours before the change becomes permanent.
*AMMONITE (2020) a narrative is directed by Frances Lee. 1840’s England, acclaimed, but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
*SIDEWALK SALE ON BLACK FRIDAY – Sidewalk recently acquired a large movie collection and will be selling some of the Sidewalk merchandise (and some shirts never sold before), some posters, and more! Discounts that will be available at Sidewalk Sale are in-person only, so make sure you save the date – November 27 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
FOR MOTORSPORTS LOVERS…
**TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY SPRINGTIME NASCAR WEEKEND – Talladega Superspeedway’s Springtime NASCAR Weekend will feature the GEICO 500 & NASCAR Xfinity Series Event. GEICO 500 Cup Series is set for Sunday, April 25 and Xfinity Race on Saturday, April 24 with both winners advancing to the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
The 52nd edition of the GEICO 500 will be the premier series’ 10th points race of the year. Ryan Blaney is the defending champion of the GEICO 500. Denny Hamlin is the latest Cup Series winner at the 2.66-mile venue, edging Erik Jones by just .086 second. Justin Haley swept both of the Talladega NASCAR Xfinity Series races this year, cementing his place in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. The Xfinity Series has been a staple at the iconic track since 1992 when Ernie Irvan took the checkered flag. Fans can get information on how to reserve their spots by calling 877-462-3342 (Go2-DEGA) or visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com
COMING 2021… For all of you motorsports lovers, here are a few ‘new’ things to look for soon…
**TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY 2021…
The Talladega Garage Experience, which debuted last fall is scheduled to return 2021. The Talladega Garage Experience gives fans the chance to be immersed into the sport of NASCAR like never before, up-close to the NASCAR’s top drivers and teams via a fan walkway under the same roof as the Cup Series garage car bays. In addition, there’s the unique 35,000 square foot “Big Bill’s,” covered Open-Air Social Club, complete with ample seating, a bar and a 41-foot diagonal video screen, the opportunity to be a part of Gatorade Victory Lane, and lots more. For information on the 2021 event weekends, fans can visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA (1-877-462-3342).
**NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series ‘21 seasons will be announced in the near future. Start times and television networks for Cup Series and Xfinity Series races will be also announced at a later date.
**NASCAR XFINITY SERIES…
2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series will visit Talladega Superspeedway for two exciting races – one in April and the other in October during the track’s NASCAR weekends. The NASCAR Xfinity Series, which has been a staple at the track since 1992, will be back for its traditional springtime event, on Saturday, April 24, 2021, the day before the GEICO 500 NASCAR Cup Series race. The Xfinity Series will return again next fall for the second race in the Round of 12 Playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. It will come the day prior to the Cup Series YellaWood 500, set for Sunday, Oct. 3.
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: gwenderu@yahoo.com. and thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.
