Bluff Park Book
Heather J. Skagg’s Bluff Park book ($21.99) is slated to hit bookstore shelves on Monday, February 4th. According to AL.com, the book picks up at the very last of the 1800′s and moves forward. There are hundreds of pics and lots of local history surrounding the neighborhood and the history of some of the Bluff Park churches. The book is part of Arcadia publishing’s Images of America series.
Skaggs has a book signing scheduled at the Alabama Booksmith February 8th at 4 p.m.
Artists on the Bluff
Did you catch the short news bit Fox 6 News did on the Artists on the Bluff? It aired just a couple of days ago and lasts just over three minutes. Here’s a link to the Artists on the Bluff site as well.
Hoover Galleria Carousel Headed West
The news is reporting that the carousel at the Hoover Galleria food court is headed to San Francisco for an update and repairs. They must have some really fine wooden animal vets out that way to make it a worthwhile trip. The mall folks say that they carousel will be open through Chirstmas 2012, but after that they’re tearing it down and shipping it West.
More info over on al.com, if you’d like to read it.
Outdoors in Bluff Park
How fortunate to have such two beautiful days back to back like this! Lucky to have such great hiking close to the house.
Hope all y’all have been able to get out and enjoy it too.
Hoover Sun is Up and Running
We got our first issue of the Hoover Sun this week. Very excited. They even had a few Bluff Park specific stories in there. Not sure how the editorial coverage or story count will go, but just glad to have some print focusing on issues and people closer to home.
The Hoover Sun website is up and running too.
New Hoover Newspaper
They are calling it the Hoover Sun. So far nothing has been put up on their site HooverSun.com, but someone has started a Facebook page. They give October 1, 2012 as the release date for this monthly local newspaper. Word on the street is that it’s being run by the same guy who publishes the Homewood Star. Here is the description from their page:
“The Hoover Sun is Hoover’s community newspaper. Distributed monthly by mail and reaching more than 20,000 homes in Hoover, we provide residents of one of Alabama’s largest cities with news about their community, schools, sports, churches, civic organizations, businesses, people and much, much more.”
Let us know if you hear more or see a Hoover Sun out in the wild. It could be really cool to see more coverage of the Bluff Park area. Let’s hope it takes off!
G-Dogs Hot Dogs and Gyros
We had lunch at Hoover’s newest hot dog diner and think it’s great! G-Dogs is on Highway 31 down in what we call the “Hobby Lobby” shopping center. It’s on the corner over by Data Dr. They are only open through 3:00 p.m. though. So for those of us not working in Hoover, it’d be a haul. We went on a Saturday and had a good first visit.
Prices fall in the around $5 a combo column. You order at the counter and the menu has your basic hot dog menu, but adds enough creative variations that you shouldn’t be bored. I had a Gyro and B had an Irondale Dog, which is a hot dog smothered in slaw with shredded pork from Golden Rule heaped on top. They had a special, which I wish I’d asked about as it wasn’t on the menu and was piled high with onions and peppers. Oh well, live and learn. I also wish I had gotten one of the homemade desserts they were selling. Next time. . .
It’s not a large space, but big enough for our Saturday lunch with the kids. They also have some tables outside. Have you been to G-Dogs yet? Check it out when you get the chance! It’s definitely going to be a regular stop for us. They are open Monday-Saturday, 6:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and closed on Sundays.
Here are a couple of pics of the menu hanging in the window. Not that good, but with the glare plus cell phone camera added to the fact that I’m not a photographer. . . but maybe they’ll zoom so you can get some idea of what’s offered.
Recap GeekFest 2012
This past Friday night the Hoover Library hosted their first ever GeekFest. . . and it was fantastic! The library shut down at 6 p.m. and two hours later opened their doors to a crowd of folks. The fun began right from the start as Storm Troopers patrolled the crowd (something about looking for Droids).
Stormtrooper on patrol
These types of events need to do well in three areas – costumes, games for the kids and food. The Hoover Library and their volunteer force nailed all three. The costumes were great:
Web-slingers
We have many many more photos. . .
GeekFest 2012
Tomorrow night (Friday, July 13th) the Hoover Library is hosting an free after-hours (8p-10p) event for local cool folks – or geeks – at the GeekFest. So if you’re a fan of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, trivia games, video games, sci-fi and comic books, you might want to check this out.
Some of the highlights:
- 1. A Star Wars themed Creature Cantina serving snacks and beverages. Plus, learn Yoda origami, fight in a light saber duel and hang with members of the 501st Rebel Legion.
- 2. Visit Lord of the Rings-inspired shire and celebrate Bilbo’s birthday, listen to hobbit stories and fiddle playing.
- 3. Hang out in the Superhero Alley where costumed comic heroes will be walking around for photo ops. Captain America and Wonder Woman will also be around to lend a hand in some superhero craft making.
There is a TON more planned and you can get many more details over on the Hoover Library blog post about the event. If you go, be sure to share your pics somewhere. It sounds like it’s going to be fun!
Why We Work (Hint: It’s About Books. Kind Of.)
I had a profound thought this morning. It kind of sums up why T & I work so well.
T likes to buy BOOKS!
I like to BUY books!
See, emphasis is important, but it’s not everything.
(In case you were wondering, this epiphany came when we were discussing 2nd & Charles’ humongous book sale this weekend - Buy 5 Fiction Books, Get 5 Fiction Books free! So, get out there and generate some tax dollars, people!)