Hoover to celebrate anniversary all year long

While Hoover’s official 50th birthday is in May, the city wants to keep the party going throughout 2017.

The anniversary festivities started March 7 with a kickoff party at the Hoover-Randle House. Mayor Frank Brocato also has visited each of the schools to collect items for a time capsule to be buried at city hall, city event coordinator Erin Colbaugh said. The time capsule burial ceremony will be held at the Municipal Center on May 18, the official anniversary of the city’s incorporation.

The main event, of course, will be Celebrate Hoover Day on April 29 at Veterans Park. The event started as a celebration of the city’s 40th birthday, and Colbaugh said they’ll celebrate the birthday with the usual games, rides, vendors, music, giant apple pie, military veterans’ recognition and other fun, along with giveaways of posters and other items made just for the anniversary. She said last year about 15,000 people attended the event.

“This will be the big party,” Colbaugh said.

City officials also are planning a series of neighborhood parties to celebrate on a smaller scale. Colbaugh said City Council members and the mayor will be bringing cake and ice cream to several Hoover neighborhoods, though the dates and times have not yet been finalized.

The 50th birthday will also be referenced in special ways at other events throughout the year, closing with the Christmas tree lighting.

The city won’t just be celebrating through events, however. Colbaugh said the city has made banners, decals, posters and more to distribute throughout Hoover to remind residents about the 50th birthday. 

Every city vehicle will have a new front license plate commemorating the event, and Colbaugh said they’re planning a series of videos on social media talking to different Hoover residents and sharing “50 things you didn’t know” about the city.

For more information about Hoover city plans, go to hooveralabama.gov.