by Gwen DeRu
TODAY…
**ENSLEY’S FOOD TRUCK THURSDAYS, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at 601 19th Street in Ensley.
**R&B & KARAOKE THURSDAYS at 4Seasons Sports Bar and Grill.
**EVERY THURSDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5:30 – 9 p.m. at the Kappa Komplex, 45 6th Avenue South.
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
**R&B & KARAOKE THURSDAYS at 4 Seasons Sports Bar & Grill, Happy Hour 4-8 p.m. with DJ SLIP mixing Live. And hosted by KURVY KERRI and Le’DARIUS HILLIARD.
**THIRSTY THURSDAY at Hookah 114 17th Street No.
**WATCH LOTS OF MOVIES – Check out the Sidewalk Film Fest for lots more.
FRIDAY…
**MOVIE NIGHT: Rent and Watch movies at Sidewalkfest.com.
**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
(Photo: Saxophonist Eric Darius) (Photo Credit: bluenotenapa.com)
**SAXOPHONIST ERIC DARIUS at Perfect Note.
**COMEDIAN STEVE BROWN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
SATURDAY…
**WOODLAWN STREET MARKET, 12 p.m.
**SATURDAYS IN THE GARDENS at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
**WINE DOWN HAPPY HOUR, 4-9 p.m. at Saferoom Lounge Bar.
**FUN, GAMES, YARD AND HOUSE WORK including Uno, Monopoly, Solitaire, Shopping, Eating. Times are changing.
**SAXOPHONIST ERIC DARIUS at Perfect Note.
**COMEDIAN STEVE BROWN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
SUNDAY…
**WORSHIP AT THE SIXTH, 9:30 a.m. at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church.
**(EVERY LAST SUNDAY) BIZARRE T-SHIRT BRUNCH, 12 NOON, at 217 22nd St. N. with Brunch by CHEF REDEAUX.
**FAMILY TIME, GOOD FOOD AND MOVIES.
**COMEDIAN STEVE BROWN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
MONDAY…
**REGGAE MUSIC EVERY MONDAY NIGHT with DJ DUSTY, 8 p.m. at Black Magic 2904 Lomb Avenue.
**READ A GOOD BOOK… BOOK: Renegades: Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama. There are even a few on the bookshelves, just lying around for something to read.
**EVERY MONDAY is MONSLAYYY – THE CARIBBEAN WAY, 8 p.m. at the Vault with TRINI and BRENT TRINI-FRESH PIERRE. FREE.
TUESDAY…
**EVERY TUESDAY – TRUE STORY BREWINGS PRESENTS TUESDAY JAZZ SESSIONS, 7- 10 p.m., 5510 Crestwood Blvd.
**TASTY TUESDAYS at Platinum of Birmingham.
**EVERY TUESDAY LIT AND JAZZ with DAVID TALLEY AND FRIENDS, 7 p.m. at Lit on 8th, 518 Rev. Abraham Woods Blvd.
**READ A REAL GOOD BOOK… BOOK: Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman. You might even like cookbooks, to-do books, game books, picture books, history books.
WEDNESDAY…
**INTERFAITH NOONDAY PRAYER SERVICES every Wednesday, Noon at Linn Park in Downtown Birmingham.
**REGGAE WEDNESDAY NIGHTS, 8 p.m. at Blue Onyx.
NEXT THURSDAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
NEXT FRIDAY…
**MOVIE NIGHT: Rent and Watch movies at Sidewalkfest.com.
**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
**COMEDIAN STEVE BROWN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
(Photo: Saxophonist Eric Darius)(Photo Credit: Perfect Note)
**FRIDAY NIGHT WITH DOMINIQUE at Perfect Note.
FOR REGGAE LOVERS…
**AUGUST 7 – INTERNATIONAL REGGAE VIBES – A Celebration of the 59th Anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence held at Lit on 8th, 518 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd, Saturday, August 7, 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. featuring CULTURE DREAD REGGAE BAND, music by RICH MUZE and guest DJs hosted by SLAYYY QUEEN with Caribbean food specials and Reggae rum punch. For more info, Call
(205) 427-0710.
Near in DAUPHIN ISLAND…
**AUGUST 13-15 – 5TH ANNUAL DAUPHIN ISLAND REGGAE WEEKEND – Island Music, food and Drink Specials all weekend long. Expect cool vibes and laid back feelings all weekend as Dauphin Island puts on a little Jamaican Jammin’ with the 5th Annual Reggae Weekend. Select restaurants and bars will be celebrating the food and music of “dat” other island – Jamaica. (Mark the dates.) AUGUST 13, 5 p.m. through AUGUST 15, 8 p.m. at Dauphin Island (FRIDAY thru SUNDAY) Live music all weekend at venues around the island along with food and drink specials with 10 bands/artists over the weekend.
FOR LOVERS OF NEWS …IN AND AROUND THE CITY…
**FRIDAY – ROARING 20’s MURDER MYSTERY DINNER, 6 p.m. at Birmingham’s Historic Arlington House.
**SATURDAY- 1st ANNUAL SMALL BUSINESS VENDOR CLASSIC, Noon, at the McClendon Park.
**SUNDAY – IT’S TIME TO LEVEL UP BIRMINGHAM VENDOR CLASSIC, at Legion Field, 12 – 6 p.m. in the McClendon Park. For more, www.vendorclassic.com.
**SUNDAY, DP’S BASKETBALL CLINIC.
**SUNDAY, TOOLS OF SUCCESS GIVEAWAY for all grades, noon – 5 p.m. at the Southside C.M.E. Church, 713 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. There will be food trucks, music, giveaways and more. Join MB CARTER MINISTRIES and Southside C.M.E Church as they give back to students, all grades and ages, from elementary to college. If you are interested in donating, school supplies and donations can be mailed to MB Carter Ministries, ATTN: Tools for Success, 351 24th Street North, Suite 844 in Birmingham. For more contact (205) 725-5014 to pick up your donations, call (206) 774-2133 or www.mbcartermin.org. MB Carter is a nonprofit, a Ministry that Builds Community.
**AUGUST 6 – ART AFTER 5: AFROFUTURISM IN THE MAGIC CITY, 5 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
**AUGUST 7 – INTERNATIONAL REGGAE VIBES – A Celebration of the 59th Anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence held at Lit on 8th, 518 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd, Saturday, August 7, 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. featuring CULTURE DREAD REGGAE BAND, music by RICH MUZE and guest DJs hosted by SLAYYY QUEEN with Caribbean food specials and Reggae rum punch. For more info, Call (205) 427-0710.
**AUGUST 8 – AN EVENING OF LOVE, 5 p.m. at the BJCC Concert Hall with PEABO BRYSON, WILL DOWNING, NAJEEM GLENN JONES, ERIC ESSIX, and hosted by JJ WILLIAMSON.
**AUGUST 14 – SMALL BUSINESS POP UP SHOP, noon – 3 p.m. at 1417 Lomb Avenue.
**AUGUST 21 – CELEBRITY CHARITY BASKETBALL GAME, 4-6 p.m. at Fairfield Preparatory High School, 610 Valley Road, Fairfield, Ala.
**AUGUST 21 – LEMONADE THE DAY PARTY, 1918 Catering, Saturday, 3 – 7 p.m. with DJ CHOCOLATE in the Mix, live music, food, drinks, cigars and good times.
**AUGUST 28 – VIRTUAL FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE,9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Learn about Credit Analysis investment, entrepreneurship, franchises, financial freedom and more. Register at www.Eventbrite.com/e/the-9th-annual-ceaf-inc-financial-empowerment-conference-registration-156282510195.
**SEPTEMBER 24-26 – HUEYTOWN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2001 REUNION, FRIDAY – FOOTBALL GAME, 5:30 p.m. at 4881 15th Street Road, Hueytown. SATURDAY – PICNIC, 11 a.m. at Randle House, 2255 Tyler Road. DINNER, 7 p.m. at City Club Birmingham, 1901 6th Avenue North Suite 3100. SUNDAY – BRUNCH (TBD). For more info, hhs2001reunion@outlook.com.
FOR BOOK LOVERS…
Here are some ‘must read’ for this year. (Some taken from Book Riot and Amazon)
(Photo: Call Us What They Carry) (Photo Credit: Publishersweekly)
**BOOK: CALL US WHAT WE CARRY is written by AMANDA GORMAN. New Amanda Gorman Book CALL US WHAT WE CARRY
It will be out on December 7th of this year. Gorman’s collection will include “The Hill We Climb,” her breakout poem that she read at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, and new works. Gorman said that she wrote this book as a lyric of hope and healing and wanted to pen a reckoning with the communal grief wrought by the pandemic. She said that it’s been the hardest thing she’s ever written, but she knew it had to be. Gorman’s first picture book, Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem, will be published by Viking Books for Young Readers on September 21.
(Photo: Renegades: Born in the USA) (Photo Credit: bookshop)
**BOOK: RENEGADES: BORN IN THE USA is written by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND BARACK OBAMA. Bruce Springsteen and former president Barack Obama recently started a podcast together, and turning the podcast into a book. Two longtime friends share an intimate and urgent conversation about life, music, and their enduring love of America, with all its challenges and contradictions, in this stunningly produced expansion of their groundbreaking Higher Ground podcast, featuring more than 350 photographs, exclusive bonus content, and never-before-seen archival material. The book is entitled ‘Renegades: Born in the USA’, and it’ll be out on October 26 globally from Penguin Random House in partnership with Higher Ground. The 320-page oversized, illustrated book will include hand-written Bruce Springsteen lyrics and Obama speeches, among other archival materials. Obama writes in the book’s opening pages: “Over the years, what we’ve found is that we’ve got a shared sensibility. About work, about family, and about America. In our own ways, Bruce and I have been on parallel journeys trying to understand this country that’s given us both so much. Trying to chronicle the stories of its people. Looking for a way to connect our own individual searches for meaning and truth and community with the larger story of America.”
FOR LOVERS OF ART and Art News…around the world…
**The Historic New Orleans Collection presents A SPECIAL PLACE IN TIME- Preserving Memories through Southern Decorative Arts, August 6-8. For more: hnoc.org/noaf. This is a 2021 New Orleans Antiques Forum.
FOR LOVERS OF THE OUTDOORS…
** SATURDAY WATERFALL WALK, STREAM WADE AND LONG SWIM – Meet 8:45 a.m. with Southeastern Outings at South Caney Creek in the Bankhead National Forest. DETAILS: Hike to two beautiful waterfalls on South Caney Creek. Swim at both of the lovely falls. Walk through the woods to one waterfall, stop and swim there and get underneath the waterfall. Then wade for about a mile in the creek to a second, larger waterfall to swim and stand under the waterfall again if you like. Then walk from that second waterfall through the woods back to the cars. This outing is rated moderately strenuous because the walks through the woods from the cars to the first waterfall and back to the cars are completely off trail through the woods and there are some short, steep hills to climb up and go down along the way. (If you think that you may want to come home before the group outing is completed, please don’t come on this outing.) Vehicles will be parked at a remote location during the entire outing. Outing participants will probably not be able to walk unguided to their cars before the outing is completed. The walk through the woods portion is completely off trail. For the hikes through the woods wear long pants. This will reduce your contact with ticks and chiggers and prevent your legs from being scratched. You may wear hiking boots or sturdy water or wading shoes for the in-woods walk. For the creek wade portion of this trip, wear old shorts or a swim suit and sturdy footwear you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, are not acceptable! Bring a towel along with your picnic lunch and water. After the outing, plan to go to a restaurant for an optional dinner. If you would like to have dinner with us at the restaurant, bring a towel and change of clothes for dinner. Well-behaved, properly-supervised children age 7 and over welcome. Meet 8:45 a.m. at the Floor and Décor Store on Green Springs Highway in Homewood. Plan to depart from there at 9 a.m. or you may meet the group at 10:30 a.m. at Jacks in Double Springs. Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680.
FOR MOVIE LOVERS…
**BLACKOUT BY THE OBAMAS AND NETFLIX…
The Obamas Producing Blackout, A Film and TV Event for Netflix – The Obamas’ production company Higher Ground and Temple Hill (Fatherhood) are teaming up again for a new project on Netflix: Blackout, a film and TV event adapting six love stories from six different authors. Netflix says the project is being developed as a film and a TV series concurrently, so some of the stories will be used in the film while others are in the show. Blackout takes place in New York during a power outage and features stories from Dhonielle Clayton (Tiny Pretty Things), Tiffany D. Jackson (Allegedly), Nic Stone (Dear Martin), Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give), Ashley Woodfolk (The Beauty That Remains), and Nicola Yoon (Everything, Everything).
AT SIDEWALK…
**23rd ANNUAL SIDEWALK FILM FESTIVAL – The 23rd Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank is returning August 23-29 to its Theatre District roots with a festival footprint that includes the Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema, the Alabama Theatre, the Lyric Theatre, First Church Birmingham, the Alabama School of Fine Arts Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre, Recital Hall and Lecture Hall as well as the Steiner Auditorium at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Go to sidewalk@sidewalkfest.com for more.
**FILMMAKER HAPPY HOUR, every First Monday, 5-7 p.m. on Zoom (for Now). Meet creatives, alumni filmmakers and more. Go to Sidewalk@sidewalkfest.con for more.
AT THE BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS…
**SATURDAYS IN THE GARDENS.
**VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES – Aid with watering and plant care in the Gardens’ greenhouses and outdoor lath houses and discover the lush exotic varieties of tropicals and rare beauties. Go to volunteer@bbgardens.org for details.
**HONEY FROM THE GARDENS – The Library at the Gardens have a curbside service, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. weekdays, to purchase locally sourced honey from the Gardens’ hives or flavored in cinnamon, lemon or jalapeno from Ivy Brook Apiary. Call (205) 588-4593 or (205) 533-6062 to schedule a pickup.
TWG NEWS…
**WORLD GAMES TICKETS – Tickets for the World Games 2022 are now on sale. Birmingham takes center stage July 7-17 hosting The World Games 2022. Get your tickets. The Games will represent the highest level of competition for more than 3600 international athletes and 30 plus sports.
**CBS WILL TELEVISE TWG – CBS and Paramount Premium will televise Birmingham’s World Games. Twelve hours of coverage of the World Games 2022 in Birmingham will be provided by CBS Sports and Paramount Premium. CBS Sports Network will air one-hour highlight shows after each of the 10 days of competition, and the CBS Television Network will provide two one-hour specials. Coverage will also stream on the Paramount Premium service.
**CATHERINE WHITEHILL NAMED CO CHAIR – Olympic Gold Medalist and former Briarwood Christian School soccer standout CATHERINE REDDICK WHITEHILL has been named the Honorary Co-Chair of the World Games 2022. She joins former NBA MVP CHARLES BARKLEY and country music star RANDY OWEN on the current list of co-chairs. Go to www.twg2022.com for more.
FOR COMEDY LOVERS…
AT THE STARDOME COMEDY CLUB…
(Photo: Comedian Steve Brown) (Photo Credit: StarDome Comedy Club)
**FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY… COMEDIAN STEVE BROWN – Widely recognized for his distinct high-pitched voice and his unpredictable high-energy physical antics, Steve Brown is one of the hottest comics in the industry today. BET Comic View and Martin Lawrence First Amendment. Steve Brown has become synonymous with “Real, Raw Comedy.” Steve W. Brown is that rising star.
**SATURDAY KHARRIS’ DRAG BRUNCH featuring GENESIS, D’VILLE AND DUPREE.
(Photo: DeRay Davis) (Photo Credit: )
**NEXT FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY… COMEDIAN DERAY DAVIS…From the Hood to Hollywood – nothing is off limits and no one is safe from DeRay’s hilarious, sidesplitting anecdotes. He continues to sell out venues both domestically and internationally. His highly anticipated 1st ever Netflix special “DeRay Davis: How to Act Black” smashed the cultural landscape on November 14, 2017 and was so popular it shut down the Netflix server TWICE! Davis is continuing to ascend. He can currently be seen on the FX hit, Snowfall.
COMING SOON…
**JULY 7-17, 2022 – THE WORLD GAMES are coming. Look for more!
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.com
