Filed under: Birmingham Alabama, Birmingham, AL, Erik Jambor, film festivals, films, Movies, music, MySpace, people, Reg's Coffeehouse, Sidewalk
One figure takes a step back…
Let’s recap shall we… we’ve already talked about the demise of the X at 100.5 earlier this week for a sports talk station. If you didn’t keep up with the City Stages stuff on Tuesday night, click here and then here. I’m still waiting for a great excuse to post my Shula rant, though it’s becoming somewhat moot now.
Then this evening I get a text message from a certain blogger. It was a simple note; “Jambor resigns as director of Sidewalk film fest.”
UPDATE: Wade has more information about the actual announcement on his site.
Still not sure what to make of it I decided to check out both Sidewalk websites, the non-profit and the festival’s sites, and look at the staff pages. Jambor’s name was not on either of the pages.
I dug a little deeper and visited the world of MySpace. Two clicks later, I felt confident enough to be able to lead this post off with this story. Erik Jambor is one of the best examples of our young professionals and the type of work and accolades that they are able to produce for our (and their) city. The added bonus of Jambor being from metro Birmingham should give hope to those that think that the system is completely broken. Improvements like the ones seen at this morning’s ribbon cutting at Woodlawn High School are only the beginning of things to come in the area. Erik will be alright. Sidewalk should hopefully survive as well. The questions on many of our minds will be answered soon.
…Another says thanks for the support
I hope that Reg doesn’t mind that I repost this. I found it on his MySpace page this evening as well and felt that those that are fans would want to read this message from him. For those not familiar with Reg’s Coffeehouse, the show originated here in Birmingham, Alabama on the X at 100.5, which ceased broadcasting yesterday afternoon.
Here’s his message:
Reg’s Coffee House Listeners Rule!
We can’t thank you enough…either of you, for making living in Birmingham that much better.
Enjoy the day.
Cheers.
Filed under: art, Birmingham Alabama, Birmingham, AL, Civic Engagement, Photographs, preservation, theater, urban issues, Woodlawn, Works Progress Administration
Today was a great day at Woodlawn High School. The school’s longtime home along 1st Avenue North celebrated the completion of its extensive renovation project with a ribbon cutting taking place on campus this morning. Among the dignitaries present was Mountain Brook mayor and Woodlawn High alum Terry Oden. He spoke passionately about the 1939 mural that serves as the frieze for the building’s auditorium. A group of alumni listed on this page describing the project, have been successful thus far of raising $85,000 of the estimated $190,000 it will take to return this landmark piece to excellent condition. It was the largest Works Progress Administration project of its kind ever completed, with the mural painted on canvas and then secured to the wall in a way that prevents it from being removed for rehabilitation. The original funds for the renovation project did not include monies to complete the renovation, leading to the effort under way through alumni.
We’ve written about this school in the past, mentioning the effort. Now that the renovations have been completed, it only makes sense for the mural to receive the attention that it deserves. Mr. Oden had several cards available for interested people to fill out and provide was is a tax-deductible donation for the project. That information is available at the Woodlawn High alumni website. While students are enjoying an incredible renovation of their academic home away from home, I think that if not now in the future they will appreciate a truly completed effort with the restored mural. I’d like to thank the individual from Volker that was kind enough to provide me an image to go along with this post.
There’s also a play opening tonight at the Playhouse Costume co-op across from the Alabama Theatre. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is the first production for Theater Downtown, a group formed to provide “downtown theater for downtown Birmingham.” Click here to view the activeculture.info posting for the event that runs through next week. It should be a great opportunity to support local theater and keep one more thing going. If you know have any ideas for things to cover, let me know.
Enjoy the day.
Cheers.
