February 28, 2024 | Ultimate Immersive Learning Experiences: A Roundup of Main Street Now 2024 Mobile Workshops |
Southern Girl Coffee. Credit: The City of Oxford, Alabama
Left: Participants in the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run on Main Street. Credit: The City of Oxford, Alabama. Right: Cathedral of the Advent 1918 postcard. Courtesy: Edward Wolfgang Poe.
The Power of Collaboration in East Alabama
Anniston, Heflin & Oxford | Sunday, May 5, 8:00 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Anniston, Heflin, and Oxford are three Main Street communities located within 20 minutes of each other. Each historic district is physically, financially, and culturally distinct, with one powerful common feature: their commitment to work together as a region to attract visitors to East Alabama. On this tour, learn how each city has invested in unique civic infrastructure projects that have increased foot traffic and spurred significant private investment, as well as civic pride. In Heflin, discover how a rural city has become known internationally by hikers and is home to a nationally known adaptive reuse project; experience a community that has created a unique retail and entertainment oasis in a sea of big box chains in Oxford; and in Anniston, visit a district that has embraced its place in history and began to rebuild itself as the region’s most diverse and inclusive Main Street.
Pioneer Churches of Birmingham
Birmingham | Wednesday, May 8, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Experience the beauty and diversity of the architecture of Birmingham’s Pioneer Downtown Houses of Worship on this walking tour that explores the four remaining original churches of the Magic City (and visits the site of the fifth). Hear about the founding of the churches and their history, from their original simple wooden buildings to the towering edifices of brick and stone that exist today. Please note: This walking tour does not include visits to the interiors of any sites; respectful visitation of these active places of worship is required.
Drum Circle during a Montevallo Main Street event. Credit Fotowerks Custom Photography. Right: Civil rights icon Odessa Woolfolk shopping the LHSA Mobile Market. Credit: LHSA.
Main Streets in Shelby County
Calera, Columbiana & Montevallo | Sunday, May 5, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Columbiana, Montevallo, and Calera are back-to-back Central Alabama Main Street communities capitalizing on their access to I-65 to attract year-round visitors and tourists. From an unexpected journey into our country's past via American Village or the Karl C. Harrison Museum of George Washington to a train ride at a Southern winery and whimsical creatures carved into the trees of a community a park, learn how these cities have leveraged resources, fostered partnerships, and successfully implemented adaptive reuse projects to expand and promote public art, develop entertainment districts, create festivals, and successfully blend collegiate and quant identities to build vibrant business districts offering something for everyone. (Note: This workshop does not include a trip to winery.)
Rebuilding Neighborhoods and Making Good Health Simple
Birmingham | Monday, May 6, 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Live HealthSmart Alabama (LHSA) is a transformational movement designed to make being healthy simple for all Alabamians. With a network of more than 100 partners and trusted community relationships, LHSA strives to decrease the incidence of chronic disease and provide greater health equity across the state, and identify changes in policies, systems, and the environment that support better health. This mobile workshop will tour two LHSA demonstration zones in the city of Birmingham, Bush Hills and East Lake. Hear from LHSA advocates and leaders, explore the improved facilities, and observe the Mobile Wellness Van and the Mobile Market in action.
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