Tuscaloosa welcomes a variety of events this weekend. From now through Friday, May 31^st, the Alabama Blues Project Art Exhibit features works by local artists at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center. County music fans will have something to really be excited about this Friday as Kenny Chesney’s Songs for the Saints Tour comes to the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. Saturday begins at the Childrens Hands On Museum celebrating S.S. CHOM-Parker Towing Family Day from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. followed by the Druid City Dames roller derby bout at 5:30 p.m. at Super Skate. Saturday’s events wind up with Carson Carlisle performing at Rhythm and Brews.

Alabama Blues Project Art Exhibit

The Alabama Blues Project Exhibit runs May 22-31, at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It features paintings, jewelry, and crafts donated from local artists including Emily Pickert, Mojo Fabrics & Quilts, Bruce Andrews, and Kim Deals. All items are for sale, with the proceeds benefiting the Alabama Blues Project, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting and preserving the Blues as a traditional art form with focus on Alabama’s musicians. Click here for more information, https://cac.tuscarts.org/

Kenny Chesney: Songs for the Saints Tour

Kenny Chesney is unarguably one of the top country music singers in the country. The winner of six Academy of Country Music Awards and eight Entertainer of the Year Awards brings world-class entertainment to Tuscaloosa’s Amphitheater, Friday, May 24, at 7:00 p.m. Chesney is a well-established country singer known for large-scale shows, playing in huge arenas to over a million people each tour. The 2019 tour takes a different route as it strives to bring more intimacy to the fans. Chesney wants this tour to have an “at-home-in-the backyard” kind of feeling. Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.

S.S. CHOM Parker Towing Family Day

CHOM is the hands-on museum of Tuscaloosa, which allows kids to touch and feel moments from our history. It is a unique experience that kids will remember and enjoy. CHOM welcomes children of all ages Saturday, May 25, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will offer half price admission for the first 75 guests. CHOM invites you to try your hand at towboat duties, race balloon boats, trace the river highways of Alabama, and pilot The “Captain Tim Parker” towboat! Click here for more information http://www.chomonline.org/

Druid City Dames v. Tragic City Rollers Allstars

Druid City Dames Roller Derby is having a home bout at Super Skate. They invite you to come support Tuscaloosa’s very own roller derby team as they take on the Tragic City Rollers All-Stars, Saturday, May 25, at 5:30 p.m. Druid City Dames roller derby is an all-girls team with the aim of getting fit and building strong relationships while competing for one goal. Roller derby is one of America’s top growing sports and is booming here in Alabama with our local squad. For more information visit http://www.druidcitydames.com/

Carson Carlisle

Carson Carlisle and his band are taking the town’s music scene by storm. Carson and company perform country and southern rock for fans in over 50 shows per year. A Tuscaloosa native and student at UA, he and his band and will bring their sound to Rhythm and Brews, Saturday, May 25. The show starts at 9:00 p.m.

In the Near Future

2019 Live at the Plaza

The fifth annual Live At The Plaza summer concert series is back for 2019! Live At The Plaza will offer free concerts every Friday night throughout June and July, featuring local bands as well as bigger name artists! The first concert is June 7, 6:00 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Government Plaza. For more information, and a list of artists, please visit the event page at https://visittuscaloosa.xyz/events/

As the weekend approaches, we say goodbye to the month of May and hello to June. Fortunately for our community, this weekend is packed with exciting events to start the month out right. From live music, crawfish boils, and art walks, we’ve got it all covered. We love summer because it provides the freedom to enjoy time spent with friends and loved ones. This weekend in Tuscaloosa is full of opportunity for you to do so.

Live at the Plaza
What a wonderful way to spend a summer evening! Every Friday night in June and July, Government Plaza will host live music by the best performers and bands in our area. The first concert of the summer will be this Friday, June 1st, from 6-9 pm featuring the John Wilson Band. The event is free and will be accompanied by various food truck and vendors. Bring a picnic blanket or lawn chair, gather up your friends and family and head out to the plaza for an evening of live entertainment. Oh, and don’t forget to bring your pets!

First Friday
For all of the art lovers out there, this event is just for you. “First Friday” is held on the first Friday of each month in downtown Tuscaloosa. Local art galleries, businesses, and restaurants are open in the evening for the community to enjoy. You can hop from gallery to gallery, stop for a bite to eat, and enjoy the nightlife that Tuscaloosa has to offer. First Friday not only showcases the work of professional artists but of local and regional artists as well. This is a way for Tuscaloosa locals to come together and enjoy a night of art and community. The event will begin the evening of Friday, June 1st.

The Little Mermaid
The beloved story of The Little Mermaid will be sweeping the stage this weekend in Tuscaloosa. The Actor’s Charitable Theatre (ACT) will be putting on the production this weekend at The Bama Theatre. ACT is known for their exceptional quality of performances, and their newest production will be no exception. Come see Ariel and her friends this weekend June 1-4. The performance times are as follows: Friday, June 1st at 7:30, Saturday, June 2nd at 2:00 and 7:30, Sunday, June 3rd at 2:00 and 7:30, and Monday, June 4th at 7:30.

Low Country Boil
The Bama Belle is a riverboat attraction that has been operating in Tuscaloosa since 2001. The Bama Belle hosts a series of events for the community- just last week was the Bama Belle BBQ cruise. This weekend, The Bama Belle is hosting the Low Country Boil. While you eat, you’ll get to enjoy live music and a scenic cruise down the river. Make reservations at www.bamabelle.org for the Low Country Boil on Friday, June 1st from 7:00PM-9:30PM for $35.

Women of Color Art Exhibit
This Friday will mark the opening of the “Women of Color” exhibit by local artist LaShonda Scott Robinson at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center. The exhibit will display Robinson’s work in watercolor on paper. As a self-taught artist, all of Robinson’s work is inspired by personal experience. Robinson’s work has been displayed in art galleries all over the world, from Switzerland to New York City. Additionally, a reception honoring Robinson will take place on June 1 from 5-8 pm during the First Friday art walk.

It’s summer in Tuscaloosa and locals and tourists alike are looking for ways to spend their free time. Luckily for us, The City of Tuscaloosa is hosting Live at the Plaza for the fourth consecutive summer. For those who are unfamiliar, Live at the Plaza is held every Friday night in June and July at the Government Plaza and features live music from local musicians. To prepare you for the excitement of this event, we’ve come up with 5 reasons why you should attend Live at The Plaza this summer.

It’s Free!

Live music, a great atmosphere, and a fun, new way to spend a Friday evening- for no cost! If you ask us, it doesn’t get much better than that. If you’re looking for a way to save money and still get the most out of your summer, this is a perfect opportunity for you. All you have to do is show up, bring a blanket or a lawn chair, sit back, and enjoy.

The music

There are two things in life that are pretty hard to beat: A well put on show and quality music. Live at the Plaza provides the opportunity for the community to gather together and enjoy the talent showcased not only from right here in Tuscaloosa but all over the South. The diversity of performances over the summer will satisfy music lovers few and far between. There will be a variety of music played from jazz, alternative, country, rock, and others. Some highlights from this year’s musical lineup include the Lamont Landers Band, The John Wilson Band and Orange Constant. For other bands check out our lineup list here.

The food trucks and vendors

Along with enjoying the performance, you will have the opportunity to shop and eat. Local vendors and food trucks can apply to have a space surrounding the lawn to sell their goods. Look out for local nonprofits and retailers that you’ve seen around town. And we can’t forget about the food! Although we don’t know exactly who will be there yet, we know it’s going to be good. Participants can count on some of the most popular businesses around our area renting out the space. Look out for some of your favorites, such as Local Roots or La Mexicana.

It’s fun for everyone

One of the greatest aspects about Live of the Plaza is that anyone can go and enjoy their time. It’s the perfect opportunity to get the family out of the house and spend quality time together. Kids and adults alike will love the lively atmosphere of the concert. And you can bring your pets! Additionally, it’s the perfect way to enjoy time with friends, or a date night. Although you can’t bring your own alcohol, you are allowed to purchase drinks from surrounding bars and restaurants and stroll around the Plaza while enjoying the music and atmosphere. They’ve got it all covered: the food, the drinks, the music. How much better does it get?

The location

The Government Plaza is right in the middle of all the Downtown action. There’s retail stores, coffee shops, restaurants and bars all within walking distance. And its outside! Even though it can get hot here in the summer, the concerts are at night which will cool things off. You can bring a picnic blanket or a lawn chair as you enjoy the show. The atmosphere of Live at the Plaza is hard to beat- and something you won’t want to miss.

Now that you know a little bit more about what to expect, it’s time to get excited. Tell your family and friends so they can look forward to it as well. Live at the Plaza is going to be a hit, just as it has been in the summers before. We hope this has helped you know what to look forward to, and we hope to see you there!

Written by Anna McAbee

Live at the Plaza Concert Lineup

The City of Tuscaloosa has scheduled the musical acts highlighting the diverse musical offerings of Tuscaloosa area for the fourth annual Live at the Plaza concert series in Government Plaza every Friday night in June and July.

Each week’s free concert will run from 6 to 9 p.m. and will feature a local band in the family-friendly atmosphere of Government Plaza, adjacent to the downtown Intermodal Facility parking deck behind City Hall.

The scheduled acts, which are subject to change, are:

June 1: John Wilson Band

June 8: Orange Constant

June 15: Jake Austell (of the J’s ) Trio and then 4G

June 22: Druid City Songwriters and then Mulligan Brothers

June 29: Lamont Landers Band

July 6: The Kemistry Project

July 13: Alabama Blues Project and then Earl “Guitar” Williams

July 20: Corey Nolan and then Plato Jones

July 27: Tim Few and then Sweet Home Symphony

New this year is the addition of exhibitor space on Government Plaza during each concert. Local non-profits, organizations and retailers are encouraged to rent exhibitor space for just $25 at each performance. Food trucks and catering vendors may also apply to serve at each performance. Food vendors and exhibitors may apply at tuscaloosa.com/latp.

This year’s shows will coincide with the downtown entertainment district. Under the new entertainment district, alcohol can be purchased from participating restaurants and bars within and on the district boundaries and taken to Government Plaza and other areas within the district, which includes several surrounding blocks.

To hear music from local Tuscaloosa artists like Lamont Landers, check out our Spotify playlist below.

It seems like every weekend is packed with events in the One and Only Tuscaloosa and this one will be no different! Start your weekend this Thursday at the Druid City Music Hall as they play host to Dwight Yoakam! Dwight is an American singer-songwriter and actor, most famous for his pioneering country music. Popular since the early 1980s, he has recorded more than twenty-one albums and compilations, charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and sold more than 25 million records. He has recorded five Billboard #1 albums, twelve gold albums, and nine platinum albums, including the triple platinum This Time! This show is one you won’t want to miss!

The following day doesn’t feature a legend but a rising star. Michael Warren will be playing Friday evening at the weekly Live at the Plaza Summer Series! Michael Warren hooked his fans early and continues to make them proud to support him as he climbs the ladder to stardom. Originally from Hoover, AL, Michael wasted no time working towards his musical dream. In 2005, he was honored with an invitation to perform in a nationally televised UNCF fundraising concert. In 2006, he went overseas to Germany on a USO tour to play for our front line troops on leave from Iraq! He also won the 2007 BAMA Award for best singer/songwriter and has just released his second full-length CD entitled “Race to Beat the Sun”. With this level of trajectory, you should head to Michael’s free show this weekend before he starts making you pay!

Also on Friday is the Green Scene Summer Movie Series featuring WALL-E! This free community event provides an opportunity to educate citizens on the importance of keeping the community clean and litter free and encourages environmental stewardship while enjoying a popular children’s movie on a big screen! Guests will receive a free bag of popcorn and refreshments provided by Coca-Cola Tuscaloosa. This event is geared toward families with children not in school during the summer as it begins at 1 PM. Also, note that this weekend WALL-E will be there live and in the metal!

All weekend long you can catch “Ragtime” at the Bean-Brown Theatre! A brief description of the play is as follows: The hope and promise of the American dream are coursing through the veins of turn-of-the-century New York City in this 1998 Tony Award-winning musical. The inspiring stories of an upper-class wide who unexpectedly becomes a single mother, a determined Jewish immigrant, and his daughter, and a daring, young Harlem musician are masterfully woven together as the original melting pot is on the verge of boiling over! Weekend showtimes can be found on Theatre Tuscaloosa’s website.

We have tons more going on so check out our great upcoming events, and follow us on our social media pages (@visittuscaloosa) for more announcements and events. Tell your friends and we can’t wait to see you around the One and Only Tuscaloosa!

There have been some incredible weekends in Tuscaloosa recently and this one is no different! Kick your weekend off at Green Bar this Thursday as they play host to “The Hollows”! When the first notes reach your ears, whether from a sweet and breezy mandolin, a whiskey-tuned banjo, or an unrepentant guitar, it will seem to you that the sound of The Hollows is uniquely New York: a contradictory, harmonic melting pot that takes all of its roots, twists them around, and produces something else, something new. This scruffy ensemble of multi-instrumentalists might just as soon swap glockenspiels, trumpets, and harmonicas as plug in a squawking electric guitar or an airy, spacey synthesizer. The result is a veritable junkyard of instruments and musical personalities, a carnival on wheels, a one-man band in six bodies that owns the stage with all the mobile, rhythmic ease of a seasoned railroad gang!

Keep the music going this Friday at the Government Plaza in downtown Tuscaloosa for “Live at the Plaza” featuring Tarred & Feathered! A perfect event for families and friends alike, it will be complete with great music, delicious food, and tasty drinks! Tarred & Feathered is a cover band made up of old buddies who love playing live music together and have unique ways of covering the old & new favorites with a raw but full sound. With three-part harmony, they ensure their covers never fall flat!

Get ready to rumble on Saturday as the Druid City Dames host their first ever home bout in Tuscaloosa! Roller Derby is surely a sight to see and if you’re unfamiliar with it, here is a brief description: Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Gameplay consists of a series of short matchups (jams) in which both teams designate a jammer who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to hinder the opposing jammer while assisting their own jammer—in effect, playing both offense and defense simultaneously. Head out to the Super Skate on McFarland Blvd and watch the ladies of Druid City Dames as they look to take down the Southern Harm Derby Dames!

If roller derby isn’t quite your cup of tea, you can catch Tyrese as he performs at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater! In 1998, his self-titled album went platinum with the singles Nobody Else, Lately, and Sweet Lady, earning him his first Grammy nomination for the Best R&B Male Vocal Performance! He became busy with TV and film roles before releasing other popular albums in between 2002 and the present. He is also an accomplished author, and will be releasing his third book soon! This soul filled Amphitheater is the place to be this Saturday so don’t miss out!

Finally, wrap up your weekend with Band of Brothers Brewing Co. as they host “Trucks by the Tracks”! All of the local food truck favorites like Local Roots, Archibald & Woodrow’s BBQ, SouthFresh Mobile Catfish Kitchen, Pastor’s Kitchen, Get Mix’d and more! great beer, live music, and good company – who could ask for more?

Another great weekend in the works in the One and Only Tuscaloosa! Start off strong as we celebrate the triumphant return of the seminal garage, indie, country, punk, yet Alabama rock-n-roll collective, T he Dexateens as they take the stage at Green Bar! The torch carriers of ‘Blue Collar Rock’ are proud to announce their first official release in over four years and their sophomore offering on Cornelius Chapel Records, the label started by the band and run by extended band family. The ‘teens are proudly contrived of a cabinet maker, a carpenter (or two at times), multiple restaurant and bar employees, and one full-time Drive-By Trucker!

The music continues into Friday as Live at the Plaza returns this week with Justin Oliver! Oliver is a Tuscaloosa native and rising star that competed in the television series “American Idol” in 2012. With his R&B/Soul single “Bipolar Love” on iTunes, you can expect government plaza to be filled with some great music! Along with Live at the Plaza comes an entertainment district, incredible food trucks, and its pet and kid friendly! What more could you ask for in an event?

Right down the street Band of Brothers Brewing Co. is boiling up some Crawfish! The Crawfish Boil will start at 7 PM with Tekknology serving up some jams to go with your supper! Band of Brothers always has fun with their events and this should be no different! Enjoy some great brews, tasty food, and smooth tunes as you wrap up your Friday in style!

Of course, it’s not a successful weekend in without visiting the Farmers Market at the Tuscaloosa River Market! Opening at 7 am, it provides fresh fruit, vegetables, grain and more! Accompanied by lovely live music you can stroll through the market, or grab some freshly brewed iced tea to cool off. Local food vendors like bakeries and others also offer a nice range of snacks. The Farmer’s market is the perfect place to kick off a relaxed Saturday or to buy the ingredients for next week’s meals!

Father’s Day is this Sunday! What better way to spend it than with your kids? If you have young ones, SuperDad Day at the Children’s Hands-On Museum is the perfect event! Your kids can meet Batman, wear their favorite superhero costume, and even make a great gift for their dad! All activities are included in admission so once the kids are in they can have fun with all the awesome activities CHOM has planned!

We have tons more going on so check out our great upcoming events below, and follow us on our social media pages (@visittuscaloosa) for more announcements and events. Tell your friends and we can’t wait to see you around the One and Only Tuscaloosa

There’s another great weekend coming up in the One and Only Tuscaloosa! Kick off your weekend tonight with the 4^th Annual Pizza Pie Eating Contest at Heat Pizza Bar! This event is hosted by United Way Young Leader’s Society and after the contest pizza and cocktails will be served! All for a good cause and all in good fun, the person who eats their pizza the fastest wins! One twist is that contestants won’t be able to use their hands! This is sure to be a blast this year as fierce competitors battle it out for the title!

This event keeps making it into our top 5 because it never disappoints! Live at the Plaza will be featuring Plato Jones! The band is a Tuscaloosa staple that you can’t miss! Since their debut in January 2005, the band has played over 600 shows in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida! The band themselves would call themselves a high energy jam band if they had to put a name to the style they play. This Friday you can expect Government Plaza to be filled with the sounds of Funk, Southern and Classic Rock, as well as a few others!

Music continues on into Saturday as Band of Brothers Brewing Company plays host to Soul Tide, another great Tuscaloosa band! Rick Henson, the band’s founder, decided to start his own group after years of experience with other bands. If you see them just once, you’ll know that they are truly an R&B, Funk, and Soul melting pot with each member of the band adding uniquely to this style! With great beer and great tunes, this is definitely a good mix for a fun night!

Finally, finish off your weekend at the Bama Theater! This weekend you can catch a screening of “Camp Nichols”! A fun and touching film about summer camp, friendship, and second chances! For $2 you can catch the screening as well as a Q&A session after with some of the cast and crew! With only one screening so far in Los Angeles, Tuscaloosa gets the unique opportunity of a first look at what seems to be an incredible project!

Tuscaloosa’s coolest ongoing summer event is back! Live at the Plaza is an annual concert series that features amazing acts in live concerts on a stage at Government Plaza. Up and coming regional bands, as well as solo artists will rock the stage from April 28th through July 28th. Some changes have been made since last year’s series, but it is still an absolute must-do for your summer in the one and only Tuscaloosa! Here are our top 5 reasons why:

1. Local Musicians
Tuscaloosa loves art in every way, and so it loves music! It is a special pleasure to host some up and coming bands from the region and even from Tuscaloosa itself. Let bands like the Nashville-based country/rock trio Campbell Station or the soul and funk of Lamont Landers Band from Alabama impress you with amazing homemade music. Or enjoy our friendly neighborhood country singer Matt Jones from Tuscaloosa, whose concerts capture the soul of the City! More acts will be announced soon, but this is already an amazing start!

2. Entertainment District
New this year is the entertainment district around Government Plaza. As it is not allowed to bring your own alcoholic beverages into the festival anymore, the district was made to be the perfect alternative. You can get your favorite adult beverages in approved go-cups and so can take them to the concerts and anywhere else within the district! Food and soft drinks are also available in the entertainment district. Participating local businesses are, for example, Alcove, Monarch, Black Warrior Brewery, and many others. The entertainment district opens each Friday at 4 pm!

3. Pet Friendly
A special plus about Live at the Plaza is that it is totally pet-friendly! Located on the meadow of the Plaza, the concerts are the perfect place to bring your furry friends. For sure they will love to spend a fun night out with their owners and meet new friends, human and pet alike! And of course, all dog moms and dads enjoy having their puppies around so take them out for the concerts! Other visitors will be delighted by some puppy love, too – promise!

4. Kick Back After a Hard Week
Held every Friday night from 6 pm to 9 pm, Live at the Plaza is THE perfect event to relax after a long week of work! You can make yourself just as comfortable as in your own living room: You’re welcome to bring picnic blankets, pillows, lawn chairs and anything else you need to enjoy a leisure evening with your colleagues, friends or family. If somebody already made dinner at home – no problem! Bring them AND the food to the concert. As always, you are welcome to bring your own food, snacks, and soft drinks!

5. It’s Free!
Let’s sum up, with Live at the Plaza you can: Have a fantastic night outside. Listen to great live music from regional artists. Bring your whole family, including dogs. Bring your own food and soft drinks. Buy food and drinks from local restaurants and bars. Let down a hard week of work.
And now comes the final, the ultimate reason to not miss this event: It’s absolutely free! You enjoy all these amazing things for free admission!
See you at the Plaza!

This weekend is packed with fine arts in the One and Only Tuscaloosa! Tonight you can head across the river to Kentuck for their Art Night! This event will serve as the official opening reception for Chris CHUB Hubbard’s show “20 Years of Heaven and Hell: Current Works and a Look Back”! Not only that, but there will be pop-up shops for local artists, demonstrations, cob oven pizza, and live music! Art Night has been a staple for the first Thursday night of each month!

On Friday, it’s downtown Tuscaloosa’s turn with the First Friday Art Crawl! Galleries, studios, and businesses across downtown will be open and participating in the art crawl including Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center, Harrison Galleries, and Grace Aberdean Habitat Alchemy. First Friday is completely free to everyone and is filled with excitement! There will be live music at different venues and some incredible works of art!

On Saturday morning you can swing by the Tuscaloosa River Market for the Farmer’s Market! Vendors set up ripe red tomatoes and famous Chilton County peaches. Musicians sit propped up against the door, playing guitars as you walk in, and local Food Trucks, bakers, artists, and craftsmen gather here to sell their gourmet grub, fresh-baked yeast rolls, homemade jams and jellies and hand-carved cutting boards.

If you’re more of a music person, head over to Government Plaza for the concert series “Live at the Plaza” where the Matt Jones Trio will be playing! Matt Jones is a local artist who beautifully paints pictures with words through melody over the landscape of his southern roots. With an arsenal of original and cover music, he’s surely an act you won’t want to miss!

Finally, wrap up your night by heading to the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater for Soundgarden! Soundgarden achieved its biggest success with the 1994 album Superunknown, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart and yielded the Grammy Award-winning singles “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman”. As if you need another reason to attend, VH1 ranked Soundgarden at number 14 in their 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock!

Written By: Barrett Elder – Digital Media Specialist

We have a lot going on in the One and Only Tuscaloosa this weekend! Friday night will play host to the anxiously awaited reinstatement of Live at the Plaza! This event has been a hit every year during the summer months and is starting back again this Friday with a new entertainment district! Magic City Smooth Jazz are kicking off the season with their laid back vibes. Grab a blanket and find yourself a seat on the lawn because Live at the Plaza is back!

If you’re not too keen on the great outdoors, we’ve got you covered. Right down the road, the Mojo Trio Band are playing at Band of Brothers Brewing Co.! The Tuscaloosa band has been around for nearly a decade and will be playing all of your favorite rock, country, funk, and other songs. It gets even more exciting as Band of Brothers will be hosting a Crawfish Boil! Bring your appetite for this delicious event because it doesn’t get any better than craft beer and crawfish!

All weekend long you can enjoy a softball tournament as University of Alabama graduate Haylie McCleney returns to Tuscaloosa to play fastpitch at Bowers Park! She will be donating the funds from the tournament to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Ultimate Fastpitch Experience is a tournament series designed to promote and showcase the individual brands of professional fastpitch players through the vehicle of amateur fastpitch tournaments!

Saturday is just as exciting as Friday and is kicked off by the One and Only Tuscaloosa Mayor’s Cup! Whether you run, walk, or ride in a stroller, everyone wins in this cup! Now in its 11^th year, the 5k has raised more than $211,000 for the Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative. While Mayor Maddox won’t be running this year, that just opens up the opportunity to root on the runners with him from the sidelines! This event is always a hit each year and we expect it to be even better this year!

Wrap up your Saturday by heading to the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater for their second show of the season! The amphitheater will be featuring American R&B singer and former rapper, Jaheim! Jaheim has been constantly on the top of the R&B charts since his debut album “Ghetto Love” and the second effort “Still Ghetto” both hit platinum! He will follow after his openers: Leela James, Eric Benet, & Daley. It’s sure to be an incredible concert so don’t miss out!

Written By: Barrett Elder – Digital Media Specialist

Looking for a weekend event that the entire family can enjoy? Live at the Plaza is just that. Due to last year’s tremendous success, the Tuscaloosa City Council approved the second annual Live at the Plaza concert series to be held every Friday night in June and July in the Government Plaza.

This concert series will run from 6 to 9 p.m. every Friday night and will feature live music from local bands. The Government Plaza, located downtown behind City Hall, provides the perfect family-friendly atmosphere to the Tuscaloosa community.

If live music alone doesn’t get you excited about this event; did we mention that these weekly concerts are free to the public? Yes, everyone can enjoy great local, live music for free. In addition to that, concert-goers are allowed to bring to alcoholic beverages to the events, but it can only be consumed during the time of the concert.

What makes this event truly unique is that it is really something for all ages to enjoy. Whether you are a kid, college student, middle age or a senior you’ll really enjoy this community-wide event.

The first event of the concert series kicks off this Friday, June 3, and will feature music from the Matt Jones Trio, a folk-rock band.

Furthermore, the June 10 concert will feature Lickety Split, a bluegrass band, and will play host to an open competition from the Black Warrior River Fiddle Fest. More acts are being scheduled and will be announced as they are finalized.

Bring your coolers and lawn chairs and join the #OneandOnly Tuscaloosa each and every Friday this summer at Live at the Plaza for great music and fun!

Written by: Adrian Gee, TTS Public Relations Intern