Post holiday sadness. Until your neighbors keep shooting fireworks through the weekend.

July 5th.

Bham Now’s BOLD Speaker Series
If you didn’t make it out to our BOLD Speaker Series last Thursday, you missed out. Dave Gray had the upstairs at Avondale pretty much enamored with his nuggets of wisdom. We had a large and diverse crowd from college students to entrepreneurs and established businessmen and women. Here’s our recap of the night.

Foodies Unite
The day finally came—the grand opening of Birmingham Food Park. Last Saturday, everyone and their mother went down to the new spot and filled up the tables. Four food trucks were parked and ready to serve, and by the end of the day, two of them had sold out of food! Ya’ll weren’t playing, huh? Read Producer James’ full experience at the brand new Food Park.

Bham + Nerds. I Ship It.
Speaking of last weekend… Magic City Con made the geeks of Bham (and the surrounding area) some happy folks. The three-day fest that celebrates all fandoms was held in the Wynfrey Hotel and lucky Galleria patrons got to see all of the amazing costumes worn by Con-goers. With several artist booths, memorabilia displays, and panel discussions, there truly was something there for all. Check out what you might have missed, and start planning your costume for next year.

Tat-tat-tatted Up
This week’s #SmallBizSpotlight is on Sanctum Tattoos and Comics. I have patiently waited for a cool tattoo shop to make their way into our spotlight, so I’m pretty excited about these guys. The custom tattoo shop has an attached full comic bookshop. These talented nerds let you browse comic books, graphic novels, and zines while they place your new favorite piece of body art on you. Sanctum also offers a pull/subscription service for monthly titles and special orders. Purchase discounts are offered for subscribers, as well. Owners Wess Greg and Aaron Hamilton pride themselves on being an open environment for comic book lovers—new and old—and for having an approachable environment that doesn’t fit the stereotype of “elitism”. This is the perfect place to finally get that Batman tattoo on your butt.

Codes and Keys
There are over half a million tech-related job openings in the country. If you want to find a way to differentiate yourself from the rest, tech is definitely a path that always needs talent. Thanks to some local organizations, you can learn computer programming no matter your previous experience. With a kids coding camp through Tech Birmingham, online courses through Jeff State, and a 10-week Full Stack Development Course through Covalence, there is no lack of learning potential in our tech-savvy city. Find what may be right for you and your future in technology.

G I V E A W A Y Break!
Enter our giveaway on Facebook to win a pair of Sloss Tech tickets! Click this link, follow the instructions, and hope our random generator has a crush on you. Our first giveaway period ends tomorrow at 5PM, so hurry! Get more info on our Sloss Tech giveaways here.

You still have time to win our Facebook ticket giveaway for a chance to see Disney’s Newsies by Red Mountain Theatre Company, too. The final giveaway period begins Monday. Click here to see how to win!

Going it alone in the Ham
Introducing a new series: Going it alone in the Ham. While my boyfriend was away in Europe, I was left doing fun things in Bham on my own (since none of my close friends live near). I’m pretty independent, but also an introvert, so this posed an interesting opportunity. My first post in the series is my experience going by myself on a Birmingham Pedal Tour social mixer. Aka the most fun I’ve had in a LONG time. See what I mean.

Sustenance, Yummm…
Another food truck will be making its debut in Birmingham soon with its main ingredient being bacon. Yes, the H’ville-based crispy goodness wagon is expanding to Birmingham and judging by the reception, it seems like everyone is pretty pumped about it, too. All of the sandwiches on the I Love Bacon Food Truck are named after famous artists like Carrie Underwood and Notorious B.I.G., so I’m sure it feels like you’re part of a secret society when ordering.

On the flip-side of this tasty week, a more health-conscious restaurant will be coming to the Reveal Kitchen in Pizitz Food Hall. Bitty’s Living Kitchen includes the freshest ingredients like pressed juices and granolas, and will cater to vegetarian, vegan, and GF diets. Based on a holistic nutrition model, the kitchen encourages a new way of eating that could potentially lead to healthy lifestyle changes. Check ’em out soon at Pizitz while they’re there for their limited stay.

Taking the “pain” out of campaign
Keeping you updated on local election hopefuls.

Top 4 Events This Week

Alabama Summer Skies: Constellations @ Christenberry Planetarium at Samford University. Learn about what is visible in the summer night sky from the Birmingham area. July 6th. 8PM. FREE.
Grease Sing-A-Long @ Alabama Theatre. Friday, July 7th. 7PM. $8.
Welcome to Night Vale @ The Lyric Theatre. July 10th. 8PM. $27.50 +fees.
Happy 19th Birthday, McWane! @ McWane Center. Enjoy the museum and the IMAX at the prices you did in 1998. July 11th. 9AM-6PM.

Want more? We’ve been busy adding over 3,000 events to the Bham Now calendar.

Bite-sized
Guide: NEW! Four of the best spas in Birmingham. Treat yo’self to a day at one of Birmingham’s fantastic day spas.
Weather: Yikes, ya’ll. Looks like rain through next Tuesday. Get your outside fun in today. Consistent highs in the high 80s and lows in the low 70s.
Eat: Guacamole and carnitas from Babalu. Be sure to go during social hour for $2 tacos (M-F 4-6PM).
Job: Software Engineer @ EBSCO. Apply.

I hope you guys had a great 4th yesterday! I walked around Southside before and after Thunder on the Mountain. The insanely heavy traffic was kind of cool to see in the area, but I probably only think that because I wasn’t driving. Yay for no road rage! Also, ICYMI, check out our story on Bham Now’s Instagram to see different views we had for area fireworks shows.

Have a great rest of your week, friends. And as always, thanks for reading Bham Now. We heart ya.

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

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