Happy Bicentennial Birthday, ‘Bama!

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Party On!

Alabama My Home Sweet Home

I love a good birthday party as much as the next mom, but celebrating a monumental birthday (think 200 years!?!) . . . well, count me in! I’ve noticed Alabama bicentennial license plates for a couple of years now while sitting in traffic, but I didn’t give it much thought until our local library hosted a reading of Alabama’s official bicentennial children’s book: Alabama My Home Sweet Home. Written and illustrated by Homewood residents, “Father Goose” Charles Ghigna and Michelle Hazelwood Hyde, respectively, both read the book and answered questions to a room full of mesmerized kids (mine included).

Reading Alabama My Home Sweet Home to schoolchildren

I Learn Something New Every Day!

I learned new things I never knew about our state! Like did you know Babe Ruth and Willie Mays both played baseball in Birmingham’s Rickwood Field? Or that the first African American woman in space was born in Decatur? Or that Dothan is the peanut capital of the world? Neither did I!

My interest was piqued, and I thought I should see what else our fair state had up her sleeve to celebrate her 200th year since becoming the United States’ 22nd state.

Alabama200

Head over to www.alabama200.org (as well as social media handles “Alabama200” on both Facebook and Instagram) for a plethora of family-friendly activities all year long. There are more than 400 events planned for this year, but I’ve picked out a few of my favorite upcoming events to save you some time:

  1. Vulcan Park will host the interactive exhibit “Alabama Justice: The Cases and Faces That Changed a Nation” (February 15 – May 13).
  2. The Tuscaloosa Bicentennial Bash will have live concerts featuring Jason Isbell, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, and the Blind Boys of Alabama, among other acts. A fabulous fireworks show will cap off the day (March 20).
  3. Catch a live stage adaptation performance of Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird at the Monroe County Heritage Museum in Monroeville (April 8 – May 18)
  4. Celebrate the Alabama Bicentennial Memorial Day at American Village in Montevallo (May 27).
  5. Constitution Village in Huntsville will host a re-enactment of President James Monroe’s surprise visit to Alabama in 1819, just months before Alabama was admitted as a state (June 1).
  6. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville is hosting a week-long event celebrating our state’s contributions to the 1969 moon landing (July 15 – 20).
  7. Biking enthusiasts shouldn’t miss Ride Alabama 200: Alabama Civil Rights Ride spanning 200 miles and visiting 50 historic sites (September 11 – 15).
  8. Be sure to check out the Alabama Department of Archives and History’s exhibit “We the People: Alabama’s Defining Documents Exhibition” (November 2 – December 30). This exhibit will feature Alabama’s multiple constitutions as well as the 1861 Ordinance of Secession.
  9. Bicentennial Veterans Day Celebration at USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile (November 11).
  10. The dedication of the new Bicentennial Park in Montgomery (December 14).

New events and activities are added to www.alabama200.org all the time, so be sure to check it out periodically throughout the year.

And don’t forget to pick up your copy of Alabama My Home Sweet Home. Trust me, you’ll love it as much as your kids!

Alabama Bicentennial Birthday
Just hanging out with author Charles Ghigna — no big deal ๐Ÿ˜‰