Category Archives: 35218

It takes a village this weekend in Ensley

The area immediately adjacent to Village Creek in Ensley has been the focus of many of the efforts being undertaken to breathe new life into the surrounding Ensley and Pratt communities. This Saturday area residents and concerned citizens will have the chance to contribute to and help develop a vision for housing that will line the planned Village Creek Greenway on the city’s West Side (after having some fun running).

The first annual Village Creek One Mile Fun Run/Walk at 8:30 a.m. (sign-up is at 8 a.m.) will be followed at 10 a.m. by a community workshop entitled Implementing The Olmsted Vision One Step at a Time.

Members of the 2007-2008 Project Corporate Leadership class and Environmental Leadership Program will host a workshop to discuss strategies for implementing the Olmsteds’ vision for the Village Creek area in the Ensley and Pratt communities. If you’ve got a Facebook account, you can let them know that you’ll be there to participate.

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Ensley Easter Parade and Gospel Concert, Ensley Commercial District

This is the event’s second year, and to celebrate, there’s a longer parade route!

This year’s parade will begin at Jackson-Olin High School. It will proceed down Avenue to 19th Street, Ensley where it will turn right. It will then follow 19th to Avenue D, where the gospel concert will begin at 12:30 p.m. It’s a great chance to head on over to Birmingham’s West Side and check out what’s going on.

For more information, including a list of gospel choirs performing and sponsors, visit Main Street Birmingham’s events calendar.

Cost: Free

Location:
Concert will take place at the corner of 19th Street Ensley and Avenue D

Call of Duty 4 Tournament, Playover Games and Movies

Playover Games and Movies in downtown Ensley wants to find the best Call of Duty 4 player out there. It may be YOU! Your entry fee will provide food as well as help fund the 1st place prize of $200 and 2nd place prize of $50. If you think you have what it takes to be crowned the Call of Duty 4 champion, then they want you to come on over and show the rest of the world what you’re made of.

For more information and to make reservations, call 205. 419.0891.

Cost: $20 entry fee

Location:
Playover Games & Movies
1824 Avenue E Ensley (directions)

Random Shots: A facelift for an Ensley landmark

Bank of Ensley under renovation

Photo credit: André Natta

The former Bank of Ensley building on the city’s westside is currently undergoing an extensive, long-term renovation project by its owner, Monumental Contracting Service. The company moved into the building, most recently used as storage for the city’s library system during the renovation of two area branches, early last year.

Here you see scaffolding up in this image from last weekend as windows are replaced in this historic building, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The downtown Ensley area will soon surveyed for purposes of it receiving landmark district status.

Click here to read the post that announced the federal grant awarded to help pay for the project.

We’ll take a look at additional projects taking place on the city’s West Side in the coming weeks.

Random Shots: Signs of the Times

Signs of Election ‘07

Photo credit: André Natta

It’s getting down to the wire for the candidates in this year’s mayoral election. Our Election ’07 site has been updated to include links to local websites, blogs, mainstream and alternative media and selected posts from our own coverage. We hope that this and other last minute changes to the site provide as complete a picture as possible for you to make a decision before the polls open tomorrow morning throughout Birmingham.

Check in with us tomorrow night as we provide coverage of returns.

The Junction will be jumping this Saturday

Tuxedo Junction Statue

Tomorrow Tuxedo Junction will be jumping with the sights and sounds of the 22nd annual Function at The Junction festival in Ensley. The festival is named for the Erskine Hawkins hit that serves as the unofficial song for the city of Birmingham. Click here to view the festival schedule as of July 24.

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Check out the buzz in Ensley tomorrow

unpacking at Playover GamesThis is becoming a common sight in downtown Ensley; final preparations for the opening of a new business. Tomorrow the community will celebrate recent openings with the first annual Ensley Revitalization Festival.

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