2017 Celebrate Hoover Day to mark city’s 50th birthday

If ever there is a year to “celebrate Hoover,” maybe 2017 — the city’s 50th birthday — is it.

City officials are inviting the public to come out to Veterans Park for the annual “Celebrate Hoover Day” on April 29.

The event started in 2007 as a way to celebrate the city’s 40th birthday and has continued every year since. An estimated 15,000 people attended last year, said Erin Colbaugh, the city of Hoover’s events coordinator.

This year’s festivities begin at 11 a.m. with a dedication of pavers in memory of U.S. military veterans at the Veterans Memorial Plaza and continue until 3 p.m., Colbaugh said.

After the paver dedication ceremony, officials plan to crank up a forklift and pull a giant apple pie (the pan is 10 feet, 3 inches in diameter) out of a specially-built oven and serve it with ice cream to attendees.

There will be live entertainment, including individuals and groups from Hoover schools, Colbaugh said. 

Kids will be able to play in a kids zone with carnival rides, inflatables and other games, and people are invited to display their antique vehicles, sports cars and other show cars at no charge on the festival grounds.

The Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce also organizes an exhibitor tent in which businesses, nonprofit groups and other organizations in the Hoover area display and share information each year. The exhibitor tent typically has 100 to 125 participants, Colbaugh said.

The Hoover police and fire departments also frequently have some of their specialized equipment on display, such as the police helicopters, Special Response Team gear, mobile command unit, a ladder fire truck and equipment for technical rescues.

There also will be food and drink vendors on site, typically operating out of food trucks.