Spread the love
Sandy Nelson has lived in Homewood for 41 years — and she loves it.
“I love Homewood for the convenience and the people,” she said. “It’s so wonderful after all these years to walk to restaurants, walk to the grocery store, walk to Edgewood to have a cup of coffee or Mexican food. I love that. The sidewalks have made a huge difference.”
That love makes her the perfect chairperson for the bake sale and sidewalk chalk art show at We Love Homewood Day on Saturday, May 7.
“The bake sale is the oldest of the events we have, and it has picked up a lot of momentum,” Nelson said. “We have a good time with it.”
Rusty Holley, superintendent of Homewood Parks and Recreation, is one of the chief organizers for this year’s event. Homewood Parks and Rec, along with the help of Homewood’s Rotary Club, the police department and fire department, and the West Homewood Lions Club — among others — make this annual event a reality.
“[We offer] fun festivities with our hometown feel,” Holley said.
The day kicks off with the We Love Homewood Day 5K at 7:30 a.m. at Homewood Central Park. The 5K route is mostly flat throughout Edgewood and eventually loops back to the park.
The Spring in the Park Festival begins at 10 a.m. and lasts until 5 p.m., also at Homewood Central Park. Inflatables, rides and activities for all ages will be all over the park. The festival will include a vendor expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., where crafters, businesses and civic groups will set up displays. A DJ will provide music, and at 1 p.m. a pep rally and concert performance by the Homewood High School band will be at the amphitheater in Homewood Central Park.
Throughout the day, patrons can take part in a silent auction, and the Society for Creative Anachronism will perform medieval demonstrations. Food and drink sales by the West Homewood Lions Club will benefit the club’s scholarship funds and other charities.
The Rotary Club plans the annual bake sale and the sidewalk chalk art contest, led this year by Nelson, the club secretary.
The bake sale will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature well-known businesses such as Nabeel’s, Western Supermarket, Edgar’s, Dreamcakes, Savage’s and Buffalo Rock, she said.
“They donate things like cakes, cupcakes, breads, pies — that type of thing,” Nelson said.
Members of the Rotary Club also bring goodies to the table.
“They break out their favorite recipes and bake cookies, brownies, banana bread and things of that nature,” she said. “It’s an interesting little event, and people get very creative.”
Nelson recalled that last year a woman showed up with cake on a stick.
“I’d never seen it before. It was cubes of cake on a popsicle stick,” she said. “It was as cute as could be, and that’s great for a dollar or whatever we charged. You get a bite of cake, get a sugar high and go on your merry way.”
Proceeds from the bake sale fund Rotary Club scholarships, Nelson said.
“The whole purpose is to sell as much as we can to raise money for our scholarships,” she said.
Another highlight of We Love Homewood Day is the sidewalk chalk art contest.
“This event is something that you can come as a spectator and watch and look, but if you want to participate, if you are artistically inclined, let us know,” Nelson said. “You can sign up and pair with one of our sponsors to have a sidewalk square. We provide chalk and supplies for you to create a work of art for us.”
Non-artists can contribute, too, Nelson said.
“You can buy a square for $100, and we will find an artist for you, or you can find your own artist,” she said.
About 50 participate, Nelson said, and each artist has a square of about seven feet to work with.
“They’re not doing a little thumbnail; it is a big piece,” Nelson said.
Artists can start drawing at 8 a.m. and judging is at 3 p.m. The money for each square goes to the Rotary Club’s scholarship fund.
“It’s important to note that all purchases are tax deductible,” Nelson said. “We provide scholarships to Homewood High School seniors. It stays in the city, and not just anybody who wants the scholarship gets it. We have a pretty rigid criteria, and students have to be needy.”
Scholarships are now not just for college-bound students, but also for students going to vocational school, Nelson said.
The sidewalk chalk art contest has four categories: Best of Show, Most Creative, Chairman’s Choice and Youth. Last year’s grand prize Best of Show winner, Karen Libecap of the ALSPCA, won $500.
“She did a drawing of a cute little puppy,” Nelson said. “It was big and doe-eyed and made you say, ‘Awww shucks.’”
Winning the Most Creative prize nets an artist $300, Chairman’s Choice awards a $300 prize and the winner of the Youth division wins $100.
Lineup for the We Love Homewood Day Parade begins at 5 p.m. at the Homewood Public Library, and the parade kicks off at 6 p.m. Prizes for Best of Show, Most Homewood Spirit and Best Float will be awarded.
The parade will have a Grand Marshal, who is normally also the winner of the Quality of Life Award, an award given to a deserving Homewood resident as a token of appreciation for his or her work and service to the community of Homewood. This person is chosen by the mayor.
Last year’s winners were the Wade family, chosen after Buddy Wade’s sudden death about a year and a half ago, Holley said.
“They are a family with deep ties to the community and [have offered] service to the community,” he said.
The day’s events conclude with a street dance in Edgewood. Chevy 6 will perform, and businesses in Edgewood will be open serving food and beverages until the event’s close at 9:30 p.m.
Though anyone can attend We Love Homewood Day — not just Homewood residents — it is a chance to celebrate a community so many hold dear.
“I love Homewood for so many reasons,” Holley said. “Probably most I love the small town feel that we have, but all the things the city is able to offer our residents.”
Visit homewoodparks.com/special-events/we-love-homewood-day/ for more information.
WE LOVE HOMEWOOD DAY: SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
► 7:30 a.m. We Love Homewood Day 5K, Homewood Central Park
► 8 a.m. Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival, Homewood Central Park
► 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Spring in the Park Festival, vendor expo, silent auction and live entertainment, Homewood Central Park
► 1 p.m. Homewood High School band pep rally, Homewood Central Park
► 6 p.m. We Love Homewood Day Parade, begins at Homewood Library,
travels west down Oxmoor Road and ends at Edgewood Business District
► 7-9:30 p.m. We Love Homewood Street Dance, Edgewood Business District