It’s a big weekend for shows, music and more.
Mobile’s Bridge Builder Classic
The city of Mobile will host the inaugural Bridge Builder Classic Saturday, Jan. 29 at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center. The exhibition basketball game was created to enhance exposure for historically Black colleges and universities and highlight their roles in educating aspiring professionals and developing future leaders. Entertainment includes DJ Black and DJ Kix battling it out during the halftime show. The game will feature regional Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) teams Alabama State University, Jackson State University, Grambling State University and Bethune-Cookman University. The event will also feature several Alabama high school teams: Williamson High School (Mobile), Vigor High School (Prichard), Blount High School (Prichard), Carver High School (Montgomery), Lanier High School (Montgomery) and Leflore High School (Mobile). Games are subject to change.
High school game schedule:
- 10 a.m.: Williamson High School vs. Vigor High School.
- Noon: Blount High School vs. Carver High School.
- 2 p.m.: Lanier High School vs. Leflore High School.
College game schedule:
- 4 p.m.: Jackson State University vs. Grambling State University.
- 7 p.m.: Bethune-Cookman University vs. Alabama State University.
Check for updates at bridgebuilderclassic.com or follow the event on social media with hashtag @bridgebuilderclassic. The Mitchell Center is at 5950 Old Shell Road.
BourbonHam fundraiser
Bring awareness to the National MS Society by attending a fundraiser at The Club Sunday, Jan. 30 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. BourbonHam will offer patrons a wonderful evening with bourbon, barbecue, live blues music and football viewing. Every detail has been planned with the safety and health of attendees, volunteers and staff in mind. In keeping with current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state, city and local agencies, a variety of safety protocols will be in place. The event includes mandatory face coverings, reduced touchpoints to minimize physical interactions, a limited number of guests and physically distanced seating. Plans may be altered as event day approaches to ensure safety. Contribute to the fundraiser at e.givesmart.com.
The Black Jacket Symphony in concert
Remember putting on an album and listening from start to finish? Relive that moment in a live concert experience with a performance by the Black Jacket Symphony. The band will perform The Beatles’ “White Album” live on Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. During the past 10 years, the Black Jacket Symphony has entertained more than 1 million music lovers nationwide. Visit blackjacketsymphony.com for upcoming tour dates.
Bo Bikes Bama fundraiser
Registration is open for the annual charity bike ride led by two-sport pro legend and Alabama native Bo Jackson. The event raises money for the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund, which provides crucial disaster preparedness and management resources for the state. The ride will take place Saturday, April 23 in Auburn. Riders will have the option to ride in person in Auburn, choosing between 20-mile and 60-mile routes, or an at-home option. Those riding from home are invited to ride any route of their choosing on April 23 and share photos on social media. Additional events and opportunities include a VIP Experience and reception and silent auction event, as well as fundraising and sponsorship opportunities. Registration will close Sunday, April 3 at 8 p.m. Rider packets, including all T-shirts and purchased merchandise, will be mailed to in-person and at-home riders in advance. To keep everyone safe, plans may change due to the demands of COVID-19. Donations are welcomed. Email [email protected] or follow this link for frequently asked questions. The venue for in-person rides is at the Auburn Arena.
Two-sport legend Bo Jackson and hundreds of people from 43 states will ride to support the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund this weekend in Auburn. Donations are welcomed. (contributed)
In-person and at-home ride options are available through April 3 for Bo Bikes Bama. The ride event is April 23 in Auburn. (contributed)
Two-sport legend Bo Jackson and hundreds of people from 43 states will ride to support the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund this weekend in Auburn. Donations are welcomed. (contributed)
In-person and at-home ride options are available through April 3 for Bo Bikes Bama. The ride event is April 23 in Auburn. (contributed)
Two-sport legend Bo Jackson and hundreds of people from 43 states will ride to support the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund this weekend in Auburn. Donations are welcomed. (contributed)
Two-sport legend Bo Jackson and hundreds of people from 43 states will ride to support the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund this weekend in Auburn. Donations are welcomed. (contributed)
‘9 to 5 The Musical’
One of the most hilarious stories of friendship and revenge in the era of the Rolodex is being performed through Sunday, Feb. 6 at Virginia Samford Theatre in Birmingham. With music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and from the book by Patricia Resnick, the production is based on the seminal 1980 hit movie by the same name. Pushed to the boiling point, three female co-workers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. Tickets for the outrageous and thought-provoking musical can be purchased online at virginiasamford.org.
Winter Wednesdays
Workshops are underway at Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Theodore through Feb. 16. Each workshop covers a special feature of the gardens or home, tips for making your garden more spectacular, or guest lectures from renowned members of the horticultural and gardening world. Sessions are 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Winter Wednesdays are included in gardens admission. Reservations are requested for each program.
- Feb. 2 – Guest speaker: Judson LeCompte.
- Feb. 9 – Guest speaker: Jon Roethling.
- Feb. 16 – Guest speaker: Gary Bachman.
To learn more about each program, call 251-459-8868, email [email protected] or visit the website.
‘Faces of Vietnam’ exhibit
The exhibit is through Friday, Feb. 11 at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur. Curated by attorney Stephen Humphreys from his travels throughout Vietnam, most of the collection is from the post Đổi Mới (Reform) era of the 1990s. Through the exhibit, Humphreys strives to answer the question: “What is the real Vietnam, and what is the face it shows the world?” The exhibit includes works from leading contemporary Vietnamese artists of the post-reform period in traditional and contemporary media, such as oil paintings, lacquer and woodblock prints. See the exhibit Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.
Virtual Birmingham Chinese New Year Gala
The Birmingham Chinese Festival Association (BCFA) is pleased to announce its virtual gala via Zoom Thursday, Feb. 3. For the past two years, the event was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. The live stream will have a diverse variety of cultural festivities, including performances by Beijing Guosheng Peking Opera Troupe and the Birmingham Chinese Art Groups. Follow the link to learn more about sponsorships. The meeting ID is 829 8329 2042 and the passcode is 123456. If the Zoom link does not work, paste https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983292042?pwd=VmF4YTZQQnFBTkdXMTVtNW8vYXRnQT09) into your browser. For more information, visit bhmchinesefestival.org or call 205-706-5104.
Experience Native American art at Birmingham Museum of Art
“Voices So True: New Native American Art” from the Clyde Oyster Bequest features the work of seven contemporary Native American artists whose vision gives voice to Native American perspectives, past and present. Ranging in media from photographs and prints to paintings and basketry, the works explore subjects including history and identity, environmental justice, healing from illness and violence, and giving voice to the voiceless. The seven featured artists – Kay WalkingStick, Wendy Red Star, Norman Akers, Eugene Tapahe, Zoe Marieh Urness, Shan Goshorn and Larry McNeil – are affiliated with tribal nations including Cherokee, Navajo, Osage, Crow and Tlingit. In her series “1880 Crow Peace Delegation,” Star adds handwritten text to a group of historic photographic portraits of Crow leaders – images over which the sitters had no control and which were appropriated into popular culture. Akers’ prints explore the perception of encounters between invading European colonists and Native Americans, and a painting by WalkingStick evokes the heroic voyage of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce people who tried to walk to freedom. A basket by Goshorn expresses support for the protesters at Standing Rock and draws attention to the issue of environmental justice among the Eastern Band Cherokee. Photographs from Tapahe’s epic “Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project” document an artist’s vision and action to help bring about healing during the pandemic. All of the works in the exhibition were recently acquired for the museum’s permanent collection with the support of a generous bequest from the late Dr. Clyde Oyster, a UAB professor and research scientist and longtime docent and volunteer at the Birmingham Museum of Art. The title of the exhibition is inspired by the writings of Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Nation and the first Native American Poet Laureate of the U.S. See “Voices So True” through Sunday, Jan. 30 at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
