Can’t Miss Alabama: Weekend festivities honor Juneteenth, Father’s Day

 

This holiday weekend, find amazing indoor and outdoor activities.

 

Huntsville Rocket City Juneteenth Music Fest

Celebrate Black Music Month and community leaders Saturday, June 18 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment in Huntsville. Festivities include music and kid-friendly activities. Food trucks will be on site. Tickets are $25. The venue is at 2211 Seminole Drive SW. For updates, follow on Facebook.

Tuscaloosa NAACP: Juneteenth Parade and Community Cookout

The NAACP will honor Juneteenth with a parade and cookout Saturday, June 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The parade lineup will be at Westlawn Middle School at 9:30 a.m. and the cookout will be at Palmore Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Westlawn Middle School is at 1715 Martin Luther King Blvd. and Palmore Park is at 3701 Fosters Ferry Road.

Mobile’s Juneteenth Education through Celebrations

Events include:

For more details, visit mobilecountyal.gov or follow on Facebook.

St. Luke A.M.E. Church Juneteenth Celebration in Opelika

The historic St. Luke A.M.E. Church will celebrate Juneteenth Saturday, June 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The celebration will include food, music and vendors. The free event will take place on the grounds of St. Luke A.M.E. Church and will move indoors if it rains. St. Luke is an integral part of the state’s history and was recently added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. For more information, contact Joyce Thomas-Vinson at 334-703-5987. The church is at 1308 Auburn St. in Opelika.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Backyard Boogie

Commemorate Juneteenth Saturday, June 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This year’s theme, “Backyard Boogie,” is a tribute to the many celebrations that have taken place in Magic City backyards throughout the past. The daylong event will feature the highly anticipated new mobile application, The Movement by Ed Farm and “The Color of Baseball” photography exhibit by Bill Chapman. There will also be live performances in the backyard celebration and “Magic Walks” throughout the Civil Rights District. The National Hook-Up of Black Women Birmingham will facilitate fun activities for children in the Griots Corner and have an Authors Village to meet local authors. Community members can learn how to trace their roots at the genealogy workshops and get advice from experts at financial freedom seminars. Learn more here.

 

Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University

The Rosa Parks Museum will have its annual Juneteenth celebration Saturday, June 18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the 200 block of downtown Montgomery. The free event includes food and merchant vendors, live music, arts and crafts activities and complimentary museum tours. The Rosa Parks Museum is at 252 Montgomery St. Visit the museum’s Facebook page for updates.

The National Juneteenth Observance Foundation of Alabama Commemoration

Celebrate Black culture with a parade, food, music, vendors and entertainment Sunday, June 19 at Birmingham’s Kelly Ingram Park. The festivities will kick off with a parade at 9 a.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 205-593-7171. Follow on Facebook.

Inaugural Juneteenth celebration

Join the Lifting as We Climb Foundation for its inaugural Juneteenth celebration Sunday, June 19 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the historic Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens. The event offers health screenings, a homebuying symposium, a networking hub and financial literacy. During the celebration, enjoy live music by Logan the Entertainer, vendor shopping, fireworks and food trucks onsite. Buy tickets here. The venue is at 331 Cotton Ave. SW.

Chilton County Peach Festival and Peach Jam

Thousands of people will attend the Chilton County Peach Festival June 18-25. Festivities at the Peach Festival will include a peach run, pageants, a parade, an auction and a car show. Festivities will conclude with the Peach Jam Jubilee Saturday, June 25 with live music, food, arts and crafts vendors, inflatables and a hot air balloon. Email [email protected] for more information.

Birmingham Stallions

The Birmingham Stallions will face the Tampa Bay Bandits at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 18 at Legion Field. Click here for the complete schedule. Buy tickets here. Follow the Birmingham Stallions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Steel City Smooth Jazz Fest

The Steel City Smooth Jazz Festival will return June 17-18 with live music celebrating various genres with emphasis on smooth jazz and R&B. Artists will perform over the course of two days on the grounds of historic Linn Park in downtown Birmingham. Performances include The Isley Brothers, Boney James, Musiq Soulchild and Jonathan Butler. Buy tickets here.

The Daddy Daughter Ball

Don’t miss out on a night to remember at the Daddy Daughter Ball celebrating fatherhood. Dance the nit away with DJ RaeRae Paradise and capture memories with fun photo ops. Buy tickets here. Visit the website to learn more. The event is Saturday, June 18 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, June 19 at 8:30 p.m. Heardmont Park Senior Center is at 5458 Cahaba Valley Road in Birmingham.

Red Mountain Entertainment

Concerts include:

• June 16 – The Black Crowes, The Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville.
• June 16 – Fred Armisen, Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham.
• June 16 – Justin Hayward, The Lyric Theatre in Birmingham.
• June 18 – Machine Gun Kelly, Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

For more shows, visit redmountainentertainment.

Homestead Hollow Summer Music Celebration

Bring your blanket and chairs to Springville’s annual Summer Music Celebration Saturday, June 18. Enjoy performances by Nacho Daddy, Deputy 5 and the Black Sedan Band. Gates open at 3 p.m. and parking is free. The only dogs allowed are service dogs. Click for tickets. Homestead Hollow is at 1161 Murphrees Valley Road.

Blueberry Festival

Take in the annual Blueberry Festival Saturday, June 18 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in historic downtown Brewton. Festival offerings include its famous original blueberry ice cream, as well as blueberry cobbler and crunch made with local berries. Enjoy a variety of arts and crafts, a car show, live entertainment and food court, and shop for blueberry bushes and festival T-shirts. The venue is Jennings Park. For more information, visit the website or call 251-867-3224.

Kinky Boots 

Charlie Price has reluctantly inherited his father’s shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father’s legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola. A fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos, Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he is meant to be. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible and discover that, when you change your mind about someone, you can change your whole world. “Kinky Boots” plays through June 26 at Birmingham’s Red Mountain Theatre and features a Tony Award-winning score by pop icon Cyndi Lauper and a book by Tony-award winner Harvey Fierstein. Link here for showtimes and ticket information.

Bob Sykes book signing at Five Points West Public Library

Van Sykes, the second-generation owner of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, will share the story of how a true family business kept the fire burning for 65 years. Attendees will receive free barbecue pork slider sandwiches, courtesy of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q. After Sykes finishes his talk, he will sign copies of his new book, “From the Pit to the Plate: The Story of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q,” which will be available for $30.The book signing is Saturday, June 18 at 1 p.m. at 4812 Ave. W. at the Five Points West Public Library. For more information, call 205-226-4013 or visit cobpl.org for more details.

The World Games 2022 Closing Ceremony

Tickets are available for the Closing Ceremony of The World Games 2022 (TWG2022). The Closing Ceremony will be Sunday, July 17 at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. The all-star celebration will feature Lionel Richie joined by Alabama, Jamey Johnson, Bo Bice, Taylor Hicks, Blind Boys of Alabama, Pastor Mike (McClure) Jr., Ruben Studdard, Yung Bleu and Martha Reeves. Serving as the grand finale of TWG 2022, “One World – One People: Celebrating Legacy, Achievement and Unity” will commemorate The Games with performances and the opportunity for athletes, fans and volunteers to bid farewell to Birmingham. The Closing Ceremony will climax with the ceremonial passing of The World Games flag to representatives of the 2025 host city, Chengdu, China. Buy tickets for the July 7 opening and July 17 closing here. Get tickets for each individual sport here. For more information about The World Games 2022, call 205-846-2500 or go to twg2022.com.