1 of 6
Photo by Jesse Chambers.
Runners take off at the start of the 2017 Steeple to Steeple 5K. The event features 5K and 10K runs, both of which start and finish at Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood.
2 of 6
Photo by Ron Burkett.
The 2017 Homewood Grown fundraiser outside SoHo Square.
3 of 6
Photo courtesy of Tracey White.
Assistance League of Birmingham members, from left, Claire Williams, Morgan Prewitt and Tamika Henton, at the 2017 One Starry Night fundraiser.
4 of 6
Photo by Erica Techo.
A participant in the 2016 Cornhole Classic pitches a bag outside Good People Brewing Company in downtown Birmingham.
5 of 6
Photo courtesy of the Samford Legacy League.
A capella vocal group Voctave, with multiple No. 1 songs and albums on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify, are scheduled to perform at the Samford Legacy League Scholarship Celebration at Covenant Presbyterian Church. The proceeds will provide scholarships for Samford University students with significant financial need and challenging circumstances.
6 of 6
Photo courtesy of Homewood Relay for Life.
Attendees at the 2017 Relay for Life of Homewood held in Central Park. The annual event honors cancer survivors and allows teams of walkers to raise money to help fight the disease.
April is the first full month of spring and brings plenty of warm weather to Homewood. The month also kicks off lots of events, including fundraisers, walks and runs, a cornhole tournament, a plant sale and a tour of historic homes.
Fill your calendar with some of April’s best Homewood events.
Suds and Soccer
► When: April 5, 6-9 p.m.
► Where: Good People Brewing Company, 114 14th St. S., Birmingham.
► What: This annual fundraiser benefits the financial aid program of the Homewood Soccer Club. Suds and Soccer supports players who couldn’t afford to be on a club team without financial assistance.
The club also matches contributions made to the organization by other sponsors, according to Assistant Soccer Director Lee Lavette.
“We continue to believe that playing soccer is a wonderful, healthy outlet that molds many children’s lives in a very positive way,” she said.
Tickets are $20 and include beer and finger foods. Raffle tickets for local gift cards and treats will be sold prior to and at the event for $5.
To order, go to homewoodsoccer.com. Tickets can also be purchased in the soccer office at Homewood Parks and Recreation at 874-9182.
One Starry Night
► When: April 5, 6-9 p.m.
► Where: The Club, One Robert S. Smith Drive.
► What: This is an annual fundraiser for the philanthropic programs for children and seniors of the Assistance League of Birmingham.
The event will feature dinner, silent and live auctions and live music from The Bassmen. The honoree will be John Lyda, a member of the Hoover City Council. Lyda is also on the Assistance League Advisory Council and has been active in supporting such projects as Operation School Bell, which helps provide new clothing and hygiene packets for more than 1,600 children in 41 schools around Birmingham each fall and spring.
The organization’s other programs are Operation Literacy and PrimeTime Treasures, a retail shop that benefits seniors.
Tickets are $150 and are available at 870-5555 or at assistanceleaguebhm.org.
Jazz in Central Park
► When: April 8, 3 p.m.
► Where: 1632 Oxmoor Road
► What: Trumpet player Willie Bradley will perform a free concert sponsored by the Homewood Arts Council and Magic City Smooth Jazz.
A regular on the smooth jazz circuit, Bradley has performed with such music greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Max Roach and Betty Carter. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets and picnic at this event. Food trucks have been invited. No alcoholic beverages are permitted.
For more information, call 213-7866 or go to Facebook @HomewoodArtsCouncil
Photo by Ron Burkett.
The 2017 Homewood Grown fundraiser outside SoHo Square.
Homewood Grown
► When: April 12, 6-9 p.m.
► Where: Soho Square, downtown Homewood.
► What: This annual fundraiser for the Homewood City Schools Foundation is held outside on the Soho Square terrace. The event includes a seated dinner, a featured speaker and the awarding of the annual Teacher Impact Award for each Homewood school. About 550 people attended last year.
“It’s always such a special night of friendship and fundraising — all centered around our common love for the schools that anchor our community,” HCSF member Julie Keith said in 2017. The Foundation seeks to provide Homewood schools with curriculum enhancements and educational development.
Tickets are $125. For tickets and more information, go to homewoodcityschoolsfoundation.com.
Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale
► When: April 12-15
► Where: Brookwood Village, Macy’s upper parking lot, 789 Brookwood Village.
► What: This annual sale, hosted by Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, will feature more than 100,000 plants, most of them nurtured by volunteers at the BBG.
This special event allows buyers to learn from plant experts and to find unique plants that are difficult to find in ordinary garden centers.
“There’s not a larger sale of its kind in Birmingham and no better selection anywhere,” said Blake Ells, BBG public relations coordinator.
The sale helps support educational programs at the BBG. For example, more than 10,000 Birmingham students receive a free, curriculum-based science education through Discovery Field Trips.
On Thursday, April 12, there will be a preview party from 5-6:30 p.m. (admission $45) and a members-only sale from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The public sale, with free admission, will be Friday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For details, call 414-3950 or go to bbgardens.org.
Photo by Erica Techo.
A participant in the 2016 Cornhole Classic pitches a bag outside Good People Brewing Company in downtown Birmingham.
Cornhole Classic
► When: April 14, 1 p.m.
► Where: Good People Brewing Company, 114 14th St. S., Birmingham.
► What: This sixth annual event raises funds and awareness for The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs in Homewood, which works to maximize the potential of young children at risk for developmental delay.
Hosted by The Bell Center Junior Board, the Classic is a round-robin tournament to maintain participants’ cornhole skills during the tailgating off-season. The event has two divisions: social and competitive.
Check-in is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration fees for a team in the social bracket are $40 in advance and $50 the day of the tournament. The fees for teams in the competitive tournament are $60 in advance and $70 the day of the event. There will be a $1,000 prize pool in the competitive bracket. For registration, go to alabamacornhole.com. For information about The Bell Center, go to thebellcenter.org.
Photo by Jesse Chambers.
Runners take off at the start of the 2017 Steeple to Steeple 5K. The event features 5K and 10K runs, both of which start and finish at Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood.
Steeple to Steeple Run
► When: April 21
► Where: Trinity United Methodist Church,1400 Oxmoor Road
► What: This fourth annual event benefits the United Methodist Children’s Home, a nonprofit that provides homes, healing and hope to Alabama’s neglected and abused youth.
The 5K and 10K are both chip-timed races and take runners through the heart of Homewood. Both races will start and finish at Trinity UMC.
There is also a fun run/walk.
Race-day packet pick-up and late registration are 6:30-7:30 a.m. The 10K begins at 7:30 a.m.; the 5K at 8 a.m. and the fun run at 9 a.m. Awards ceremonies begin at 9:15 a.m.
Registration is $50 for the 10K and $30 for the 5K. The fun run has a $15 fee. There is also a sleep-in option and a virtual 5K. All registrations have a additional $3 sign-up fee.
For registration and more information, go to steeple2steeple.com.
Hollywood Homes Tour
► When: April 22, 1-4 p.m.
► Where: Various locations, historic Hollywood neighborhood.
► What: Clyde Nelson developed Hollywood starting in 1926, working with architect George Turner to design homes in the Spanish mission style popular in Hollywood, California, as well as the English Tudor design.
The houses on the tour include the Beasley Home, 239 La Prado Place; the Nix Home, 306 English Circle; the Pearson Home, 9 Bonita Drive; and the Davis Home, 116 Bonita Drive.
Tour chairs are Dana Garvin and Harriet Alley. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at hollywoodhometour18.eventbrite.com and through the following local retailers: Chickadee, Smith’s Variety, Hunter’s Cleaners, Sweet Pea’s Garden Shop, Homewood Antiques & Marketplace and Fabrik.
Photo courtesy of the Samford Legacy League.
A capella vocal group Voctave, with multiple No. 1 songs and albums on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify, are scheduled to perform at the Samford Legacy League Scholarship Celebration at Covenant Presbyterian Church. The proceeds will provide scholarships for Samford University students with significant financial need and challenging circumstances.
Legacy League Scholarship Celebration
► When: April 26
► Where: Covenant Presbyterian Church, 65 Old Montgomery Highway.
► What: The Samford Legacy League presents this 10th annual fundraiser. Entertainment will be provided by Voctave, one of the country’s premier a cappella groups, with multiple No. 1 songs and albums on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. The 11 members perform everything from Disney songs and Broadway show tunes to pop, gospel, barbershop and contemporary Christian.
The proceeds will provide scholarships for students with significant financial need and challenging circumstances. There will be a reception at 5:30 p.m., a seated dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the concert from 8-9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $100-$135 per person, a portion of which is tax-deductible. For more information, call 726-2247 or go to samford.edu/legacyleague.
Relay for Life of Homewood
► When: April 27, 4-10 p.m.
► Where: Homewood Central Park, 1632 Oxmoor Road
► What: At a relay, the members of a fundraising team take turns walking around a track or path, and each team is asked to have a member on the track at all times to signify that cancer never sleeps.
Each team sets up a campsite at the event and continues their fundraising efforts by collecting donations for food, goods, games and activities. This money counts toward their overall fundraising goal.
The event will have opening and closing ceremonies. For registration and other information, go to relayforlife.org/homewoodal.
Birmingham Kidney Walk
► When: April 28, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
► Where: Samford University Track and Soccer Complex, 800 Lakeshore Drive
► What: This event raises money to support the Alabama Kidney Foundation’s financial assistance program used to help dialysis patients and their families with transportation to and from dialysis and daily living needs, such as utility bills and medication costs.
No pets are allowed, but the event is family-friendly and includes clowns, bounce houses, face painting and food.
Registration for the walk begins at 8:30 a.m. For more information or to create a walk team, go to birminghamkidneywalk.org.
