The holiday season is in high gear already with multiple Christmas-related events happening in Hoover this weekend, plus an 8K race.
Here are a few details:
Ross Bridge Holiday Market: Several vendors will be set up for shopping in the Ross Bridge Town Center at 2101 Grand Ave. Friday night, Dec. 6, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. There also will be food trucks, live music, kids crafts, other activities and a hot cocoa bar.
Jingle Jam: Nashville recording artist Steve Moakler will be in concert at the Brock’s Gap Brewing Co. on Friday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. There also will be a food truck from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with half-price on all sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a fundraiser for the Hope for Autumn Foundation, which provides financial assistance to families with children battling cancer at Children’s of Alabama hospital and supports childhood cancer research. The event includes a silent auction open until 9 p.m., with items including rare bourbon, vacation packages and spa packages. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
What a Wonderful World: Trumpet virtuoso and vocalist Longineu Parsons joins forces with Tina Fabrique, known for her award-winning portrayal of Ella Fitzgerald in “Ella” as well as the voice of the original theme for “Reading Rainbow,” in a concert at the Hoover Library Theatre at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6. It’s the second night of a two-night stand. Backed by a band, they will perform holiday favorites celebrating one of music’s greatest partnerships between Louis Armstrong, one of the founding fathers of jazz, and the “Queen of Jazz,” Ella Fitzgerald. There were nine tickets left early Friday morning, according to the Hoover Library Theatre website. Tickets cost $38.
Bluff Park 8K & Kids1K Challenge: The 8K is Saturday at 7:30 a.m., starting and ending at Bluff Park United Methodist Church. The Kids 1K Challenge (about .62 miles) for children ages 5-11 follows at 8:30 a.m. The cost to participate is $40 until 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 and 445 from then until the start of the race. The 1K Challenge costs $30 and goes up to $35 at 6 p.m. Friday. Register at runsignup.com/bluffpark8k.
Bluff Park Christmas Parade: The ninth annual parade starts at 10 a.m. at the Bluff Park Community Park next to the Shades Cliff Pool, then proceeds along Cloudland Drive (behind Bluff Park Elementary School), turns right onto Lester Lane, then turns south on Clearview Road (which turns into Maiden Lane), right onto Rockview Lane, right onto Cloudland Drive and ends back at the park next to the Shades Cliff Pool. About 35 groups are expected to be in the parade. See more information here.
Ho Ho Hoover-Randle Open House: The event, which raises money for the Hoover Helps nonprofit, is Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Hoover-Randle Home & Gardens at 2255 Tyler Road from 2 to 5 p.m. There will be a chance to see the newly remodeled Hoover-Randle Home & Gardens and numerous Christmas trees decorated by nonprofits and other groups in Hoover. There also will be live entertainment, photos with Santa, food samples from local restaurants, homemade chocolate treats from Michelle’s Chocolate Lab and hot chocolate made by the Grace Klein nonprofit. The entertainment will include performances by the Spain Park Dazzlers, Hoover High Buccanettes, Hoover and Spain Park choirs and music students from Deer Valley Elementary. Tickets are $15, but children ages 12 and younger get in free. See more information here.
Birmingham Boys Choir Christmas Concert: The Birmingham Boys Choir, which includes boys from Hoover, will once again take the stage at Samford University’s Leslie Wright Center on Dec. 8, marking the 47th annual Christmas concert performance by the group. Their concert is at 2:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. See more.
WEEK IN REVIEW
If you think you may have missed out on some of the news this week, here’s a recap of some of our stories from Nov. 29-Dec. 6:
Miss Hoover Emma Terry talks about the inspiration behind her support of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS. It’s her grandfather, Stewart Simpson, who was diagnosed with ALS right before she was born and lived with the disease for 22 years. He died this past April at 86.
The Cadillac of Birmingham dealership in Hoover is undergoing a $7 million renovation. Check out details here.
Spain Park High School’s girls flag football team finished second in the state in the inaugural 6A-7A state championship game. See more here.
The city of Hoover launched into the Christmas season with its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony Tuesday night. Check out our account, written in the style of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas," plus a photo gallery.
The Hoover City Council adopted new development design guidelines for commercial and mixed-use areas. The new guidelines and standards cover a variety of topics, including site design, building materials, landscaping, parking, traffic flow, lighting, signage and awnings. Read more here.
The Hoover chamber honored retiring commercial real estate broker Ira Levine with a Lifetime Achievement award and named the award after him. Read more from the chamber's 2024 Leadership Celebration and Giving Gala.
