In Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham, if you enjoy the cold and Winter season, like I do, you can lace up some skates and enjoy the downtown high-rise buildings on an ice skating rink! That’s right, an ice skating rink! Birmingham has turned into Brrrmingham!
Open through January 16th, the 50′ x 70′ outdoor rink is located on Railroad Park’s 17th Street Plaza for all to enjoy. The rink is open seven days a week, including Christmas and New Years. The Boxcar is fully stocked with hot chocolate and other cold weather fare. Railroad Park is also hosting birthday parties, holiday parties, and corporate gatherings at the rink.
The park will also host different theme nights open to the public, including “Tacky Sweater Night,” “UAB Blazer Night,” “Neon Night,” etc. Tickets are $10 per person for a 2 hour session on the rink including the skate rental! Two hour sessions begin at 11 am on weekdays and 10 am on Friday and Saturday.
Here is a short video and pictures I took at the rink. No, I don’t know how to skate and will not risk falling over multiple times! Learn more at: http://railroadpark.org/iceskating.php
This week, Alabama Power announced something very cool for downtown Birmingham! Alabama Power is taking the old Powell Avenue Steam Plant and turning it into a major hub for activity around the Railroad Park area of Downtown Birmingham. The former industrial plant is going to be turned into a entertainment and cultural center just across from Railroad Park and near the upcoming Rotary Trail. The center might include restaurants, entertainment space, stores, and even a museum. Here is a video from Alabama Power highlighting what they want to do.
In Alabama Power’s view, The Powell Avenue Steam Plant has been a fixture on Birmingham’s skyline for over a century. Reimagined, it can become a part of the city’s transformation by becoming a thriving and diverse destination. A place where creativity and innovation combine to generate economic energy for the future of Birmingham. And I agree! If you have not been to Downtown Birmingham lately, you need to go back and see the changes that have already taken place.
For example, Railroad Park has become a top destination for people and families, Region Field has become a very popular baseball park with great attendance at each game, McWane Science Center is a top science museum in America, and this is just the beginning. The Entertainment District near the BJCC is growing and soon will become a top destination for nightlife in the city. And many buildings that were once empty and falling apart, are now becoming re-modeled or re-built to house businesses and homes. And with that, people are coming back to live in Downtown Birmingham!
Yes, some parts of the City of Birmingham have some violence problems, but violence is not a problem in the downtown area. Yes, some violence happens, but it can happen at any city anywhere in America. I am glad to see an outdated and closed down steam plant being re-purposed for today’s times, it was closed down in 2013, but soon will come back to life to serve the people of Birmingham. Alabama Power is supporting economic development and ongoing revitalization of Birmingham, and I am glad it is happening! The naysayers who say Birmingham is dangerous needs to go to downtown and see for themselves!
From the YouTube channel Matt Glasscock, comes a great video of downtown Birmingham shot while driving on the streets in downtown. Matt used a GoPro Hero 3 and drove around downtown Birmingham shooting all of the major points in downtown like Regions Field, Railroad Park, UAB, Children’s Hospital, Vulcan, Morris Avenue bricks, BJCC, entertainment district, and more! The video features more than 2000 photos, in 60 seconds. Here’s hoping GoPro will place their video on their main YouTube channel, enjoy!
On this cute Evening Post, the YouTube channel Ian J. Cunningham has posted a very cute video of people dancing in Downtown Birmingham. The video was shot in and around Railroad Park on the International Day of Happiness on March 20th. Yep, this video and another video from the YouTube channel J. Jackson both feature people busting a move with the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams playing in the background. So enjoy these fun dancing people below!
The downtown Birmingham Alabama area has seen a tremendous growth! Railroad Park is very popular with the people, Regions Field is the new home of the Birmingham Barons and it set an attendance record for its opening season! The entertainment district is coming together and will be a big draw for downtown! And to cash in on this success, Birmingham needs a pro sports team!
The Birmingham Metro is home to over one million people, and the city has no pro sports team. Making it one of the biggest metro areas in the entire country without a pro sports team. The biggest metro area was Oklahoma City, until the Thunder NBA team moved in. Now, a group of people are wanting to bring a professional soccer team to Birmingham to hopefully play in Major League Soccer.
John Killian, Morgan Copes, and Phil Amthor founded the Birmingham Hammers, and their mission is to bring a professional soccer team to Birmingham. If you think the only sport people cares about in Alabama is football, you are wrong. The Birmingham TV Market is always ranked very high in the ratings when it comes to live sports from any league. In fact, during a US World Cup qualifier match against Mexico, Birmingham demonstrated the highest viewership in the country, at almost twice the national average.
Birmingham is a vibrant city that has experienced tremendous growth in recent years and with that growth has come a renewed interest and pride in our beautiful city. With the return of the Barons to the city proper and the many renovations to historic downtown areas, Birmingham is nicely situated to take the next step, which the founders believe is a top-tier professional sports team.
Soccer is increasingly becoming the most played sport in the United States. It is currently played by more children in Alabama than any other sport and the interest and participation in Birmingham and the surrounding areas extends well beyond youth leagues. There are adult leagues, pick-up games, and even organizations who solely gather to watch games together. Yes, Alabama is not all about football of the pigskin kind anymore!
It’s time for the Birmingham Metro to have a professional sports team. If the Barons can get record attendance, a professional sports team will have the fans and attendance to support it! To accomplish their goal of bringing professional Soccer to the Magic City they need your support. You can join them on Facebook and invite your friends. You can attend an event and bring a friend. Another great way to show your support is by purchasing a limited edition Birmingham Hammers scarf. All proceeds will help to cover the cost of attaining nonprofit status.
