It’s the last full week of May! Summertime, is that you knocking on my door?

May 24th.

With Great Rivers, Comes Great Responsibility
Alabama’s rivers are America’s Amazon. There’s even a documentary about it. Our rivers are home to more kinds of animals than anywhere in North America and, in many cases, on earth. We rank first in biodiversity in the categories of crayfish, turtles, and freshwater fishes, mussels, and snails. Paul Johnson, Program Supervisor at the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, said that new species of those previously mentioned are discovered every year, “so the state is not in danger of losing our top ranked status.” My favorite statistic would have to be that 10% of freshwater resources in the continental United States flows through or originates in Alabama. That’s a whole lotta responsibility. Catch up on part one of our Alabama rivers series here.

Lucy is Home
Our #SmallBizSpotlight this week shine ever-so-brightly on Lucy’s Coffee and Tea. Located on University Boulevard, Lucy’s has been a staple in the UAB area for more than two decades. Lucy Bonds is the sole owner and opened the shop in Bham after seeing the success of coffee shops in Seattle. Lucy’s serves soups, salads, paninis, and more to go along with your drink fix, and you can even get your name put up on “The Board” – a way staff keeps track of prepaying customers! Local love is always on display in Lucy’s, with work by local artists lining the wall and Birmingham products available for purchase. Lucy loves the community and, boy, does the community love her back.

Literal Spotlight on Vulcan
Birmingham’s Kiwanis Club has been busy at work planning their upcoming 100th anniversary. What better way to celebrate than to create a new park that will be connected to Vulcan Park? The plans include repairing and reconnecting concrete stairs that will lead to Vulcan Park, renovating Vulcan Trail, and installing upgraded LED lighting on Vulcan himself. Kiwanis wants to make Vulcan Park even more of a tourist attraction, and think this project will be “something special for Birmingham.” Birmingham tops the world in civic clubs including the largest Rotary, Rotaract and Kiwanis clubs in the world.

Mornin’ Brew
It’s not even an opinion anymore. Good People’s Coffee Oatmeal stout is the best in the state. Food and Wine magazine recently published their 50 Best Stouts in America, and GP Brewing came out on top with the brew that makes any hipster drool. In case you didn’t know, the coffee flavor comes from a local source – Octane.

From A-Z
Summer is near, which means the concert lineups are fresh for ticket purchase. We’ve got the low down on Birmingham concert venues so you can prepare for the atmosphere before the big night. Learn a little about everywhere from A-Z (the Alabama to Zydeco). As a live music lover, I approve of this guide.
P.S. Check out the write up on the hidden gem in Bluff Park.

Connecting Humans
It’s hard to go anywhere these days without having to access the Internet, but luckily, it’s also hard to go anywhere without AT&T on our side, too. In our interview with Terri Williams, Regional Director of Legislative & External Affairs for AT&T-Alabama, we learned that there is so much more than just the full service bars on our phones or Internet streaming on our smart TVs. AT&T is in the business of connecting people. With nearly half of the households in the United States being wireless only, AT&T has had to shift their operations to fit the changing communication trends. Read more about how AT&T-Alabama works to keep us all connected in this high-speed world.

Zippity Do Dah Day
Do Dah Day 2017 is in the books, and we have the photos to prove it! Check out our gallery of all the festive, furry friends. Since 1992, the festival has raised over $1.3 million for homeless animals in the Greater Birmingham area. All of the pups interviewed gave Do Dah 2017 two paws up, and said the organizers were total good boys and girls. We agree.

OMGuac
Patchwork Farms in Vestavia Hills just keeps on adding retailers and restaurants to the development, like Publix and Smoothie King. This time it was announced that Chronic Tacos, the coolest name for a Mexican food franchise, will have a spot, as well. The potato tacos (cheesy, mashed potato-filled corn tortillas that are deep fried) make them unique. OMGuac. Chronic Tacos will be open for biz as early as July.

Taking the “pain” out of “campaign”
A roundup of local election candidates.

Top 3 Events This Week

Driving After Dark @ Highland Park Golf Course & Tennis Center. Glow in the dark golf and tennis benefiting United Ability. May 25th. 3-11PM. Tennis: $60. Golf: $150.
Salsa Showdown @ Cahaba Brewing. Saturday, May 27th. 2-6PM. $10 advance, $15 at the door.
The Bacon Brothers @ The Lyric Theater. THE Kevin Bacon and his brother, Michael. May 30th. 8PM. $40+.

PLUS: Check out Producer Vicky’s top 10 picks for the week. Your Memorial Day weekend plans will be stacked.

Want more? We’ve been busy adding over 3000 events to the Bham Now calendar.

Bite-sized
Quiz: Which Bham ice cream place are you?
Weather: Rainy today, obviously. Expect high temps for the week to average in the mid-80s. Possibility of more rain early next week.
Eat: The Cuban with a side of tostones (fried plantains!) from Tropicaleo.
Job: Developer – Level 3 @ EBSCO. Apply.
Adorable and Adoptable: Meet Millie, the cutest little kitty with the cutest grandma name. This mellow cat is available for adoption through the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. Also, don’t miss out on Cocktails for Critters tomorrow at Sky Castle. 10% of proceeds will be donated to the GBHS.

Bham Now birthday: A happy birthday to me, Hunter, on Saturday!

Don’t let the dreary weather get you down today. We’re halfway through the week and then we can all have our Memorial Day weekend fun! Drive safely, friends. As always, thanks for reading Bham Now.

Hunter Holland, Producer
Let me know what’s up – hunter@bhamnow.com

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