Hoover October 2023 Events Guide

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Oct. 5: Taste of Hoover. Aldridge Gardens, 5-8 p.m.

People can sample food and beverages from at least 41 restaurants, caterers and other food and beverage providers at the 12th annual Taste of Hoover at Aldridge Gardens.

Guests also can listen to live entertainment while they eat and mingle under strings of lights in the gardens. Tickets are $45 for Aldridge Gardens members and $50 for non-members. Extra parking and a free shuttle will be available from the former Bed Bath and Beyond parking lot in the Riverchase Crossings shopping center at the southern intersection of U.S. 31 and Lorna Road.

Participating food and beverage providers include 1918 Catering, 4TWENTY3 Catering Co., Ann's All Around Town Catering, B&A Warehouse, Baba Java Coffee, Big Whiskey’s American Restaurant & Bar, Brock's Gap Brewing Co., Bushwacker Spirits, Chattanooga Whiskey, Classic Catering and Events, Coca-Cola United, Dread River Distilling Co., East 59 Cafe & Catering, Emily's Heirloom Pound Cakes, Eugene's Hot Chicken, Jambo Grill, Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute, K & J's Elegant Pastries and Creamery, La Paz Restaurant & Catering, Lemonade Junkeez, Merk’s Tavern, Michelle’s Chocolate Lab, Nothing but Noodles, Pazzo Pizza, Pihakis Restaurant Group (HERO & Little Donkey), Pinoy Home Cooking, R & S Food Service/Yellow Bicycle Catering, Rock N Roll Sushi, Savoie Catering, Saw’s BBQ Hoover, Superchix, Sweet Claire’s Caboose, Taziki's Mediterranean Café, Temper Coffee, The Casual Pint at The Grove, The Happy Catering Co., The Whole Scoop Ice Cream Shop, Tre Luna Catering/Tre Luna Bar and Kitchen, Twin Peaks Restaurant, Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux and Weddings & Events by Gintells.

To get tickets, go to aldridgegardens.com.

Oct. 5-6: Seth Mulder and Midnight Run. Hoover Library Theatre, 7 p.m.

This band started in 2015 at the Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and is made up of five members who draw from influences that include bluegrass, country and rock and roll. It is led by Mulder, who sings and plays mandolin, but also includes Colton Powers on banjo and harmony vocals, Ben Watlington on guitar, Max Etling on bass and Max Silverstein on fiddle.

Their first studio album, “In Dreams I Go Back,” debuted on the Billboard charts at No. 7, and their singles “My, My, My,” “The Mountains Are Calling,” “Carolina Line” and “One More Night” spent multiple weeks on the Top 10 charts. “My, My, My” was named 2023 Song of the Year by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America.

Tickets cost $35 plus a $3 processing fee and are available at thelibrarytheatre.com, by phone at 205-444-7888 or at the Library Theatre box office Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Oct. 7: Bluff Park Art Show. Bluff Park Community Park, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The 60th annual Bluff Park Art Show, presented by the Bluff Park Art Association, is returning home to the Bluff Park Community Park at 517 Cloudland Drive after temporarily moving to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium last year due to construction of a new pavilion in the park.

The free art show will feature 130 artists from around the country, including 35 who will be exhibiting for the first time. Mediums represented at the show include clay, glass, jewelry, metalworking, painting, photography, printmaking, 2D and 3D mixed media, ceramics, and sculpture. There will also be music and several food trucks.

Serving as the judge this year is artist and two-time Best in Show winner Debra Riffe. The Tupelo, Mississippi, native grew up in Washington, D.C., where she earned her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Howard University College of Fine Arts.

Free shuttles or buses will be available on a continuous loop from Bluff Park United Methodist Church, Shades Crest Baptist Church, Shades Mountain Community Church and Shades Mountain Plaza.

For more information, go to bluffparkartassociation.org.

Oct. 8: Hoover Public Library 40th Birthday Bash. 6-8 p.m.

The Hoover Public Library is celebrating its 40th birthday with a 1980s-themed Back in Time Birthday Bash that includes music, dancing, arcade games, drinks, food, crafts and more. Costumes with a 1980s theme are encouraged but not required.

Oct. 14: Hay Hoover! Veterans Park, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The free citywide annual fall celebration at Veterans Park will include hayrides, pony rides, a petting zoo, games, food trucks and treats handed out by businesses and other organizations. Children are encouraged to dress in costume. Parking and shuttles will be provided at Spain Park High School next door.

Oct. 14: Bash on the Bluff. Hare Farm in Bluff Park, 11 a.m.

Hare Farm, a 9-acre event venue on a former farm at 613 Sanders Road, is holding a fall Bash on the Bluff event that will include live music, food trucks, inflatables, local vendors, a pumpkin patch and more. For more information about the farm, visit harefarmbluffpark.com.

Oct. 20: Cirque du Bibliotheque. Hoover Public Library, 7 p.m.

The Hoover Public Library invites adults ages 18 and older to celebrate Halloween with luminarts, LED performers, carnival games, a costume contest, photo booth, mocktails and more.

Oct. 24: Comedy 4 Kids. Stardome Comedy Club, 6 p.m.

The Hoover City Schools Foundation is holding its second annual Comedy 4 Kids event at the Stardome Comedy Club at 1818 Data Drive.

The event, which last year raised $20,000 for the foundation, will feature a catered meal from Ragtime Cafe and comedy show by Brad Upton. Upton has spent 35+ years in the stand-up comedy business. He was teaching the fourth grade and coaching high school track in Pasco, Washington, when he first stepped on stage in 1984. Two years later, he quit and never looked back. He has released two specials on Dry Bar Comedy, with over 200 million views, and landed at the Grand Ole Opry stage in 2019 as a regular guest. Upton and his wife of 35 years live in Seattle, where they raised two children, now 28 and 26.

The Hoover City Schools Foundation recently awarded more than $49,000 in classroom grants to teachers in Hoover City Schools, and money raised from this event will help fund future grants. Tickets for the event cost from $75 to $125 and can be purchased at the foundation’s website, hoovercsf.org/events.

Oct. 24: Iron Giant Percussion. Hoover Public Library, 7 p.m.

Iron Giant Percussion plays Terry Riley’s composition “In C” at the Hoover Public Library.

Oct. 26: Katztoberfest. Brock’s Gap Brewery, 5-9 p.m.

The fifth annual Katztoberfest fundraiser for the Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue will be at Brock’s Gap Brewery and include live music, food and beer. There is no admission fee, but there will be a raffle, merchandise tables and an event T-shirt for sale. Funds raised help support the feline-only rescue center at 3432 Old Columbiana Road.

The rescue center is a cage-free, no-kill shelter for up to 60 cats. The shelter also has about 240 other cats and kittens in foster homes awaiting adoption. Kitty Kat Haven & Rescue has placed more than 800 cats into homes in the past year. Since the nonprofit first opened in 2016, it has saved and found homes for more than 5,500 cats and kittens, founder and Executive Director Rita Bowman said.

Oct. 27: Ross Bridge Barkit Market. Ross Bridge, 4-8 p.m.

This free event, hosted by the Ross Bridge Farmers Market at 2101 Grand Ave., will include live music, food trucks, shopping opportunities, face painting for children and a pet parade costume contest. The parade contest winner receives a goodie basket from Ashley’s Pampered Pups. The parade starts at 6 p.m.

Oct. 31: SpookFest. Hoover Met RV Park, 5:30-8 p.m.

This free event at the Hoover Met RV Park at 5508 Stadium Trace Parkway will include trick-or-treating, food trucks, inflatables and more.

Editor's note: This event guide was updated on Oct. 4 with a new date for the Hoover Public Library 40th Birthday Bash. The event is Sunday, Oct. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m.