 | MTV debuted today 27 years ago. In honor, dance around in some neon-colored bike shorts to “Video Killed the Radio Star.” |
| All month, see this exhibit featuring print-sized versions of Birmingham’s landmarks at the McWane Science Center. Call 714.8300 for hours and information. |
| Maria Mitchell, the first professional female astronomer in the United States, was born on this day in 1818. Mitchell was raised in a Quaker community, which was one of the few groups that felt women should have equal educational opportunities as men. She had the notable discovery that sunspots are “whirling vertical cavities” and not, as thought at the time, clouds. |
 | Come on out, folks for this year’s Birmingham Folk Festival at Avondale Park from 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. All day long and into the night, hear live bluegrass and folk music. Admission is $15 benefiting Mitchell's Place, a comprehensive Autism Treatment center. Check out details at http://www.birminghamfolkfest.com |
| Raise your hand if the movie Gremlins used to give you nightmares. It’s playing at the Alabama Theatre tonight at 7 pm if you want to see if the microwave scene still creeps you out. Visit alabamatheatre.com for more information. |
| Life is not a having and a getting, but a being and a becoming.” Myrna Loy would have been 103 today. She used her fame in the 1930s-40s to champion the rights of black actors and to give them dignity onscreen, rather than the stereotypes they often played at the time. |
 | Free Baron’s tickets for Vulcan members. Simply present your membership card for entrance to the game and root, root, root for the home team! |
| Martha Stewart’s birthday is today. Bake a cake entirely out of the flour you hand-milled from your personal wheat crop and decorate it with homemade buttercream frosting and fruit from your organic orchard to celebrate. |
 | With school back in session this month, add some beer education to your class schedule with Beer 101 at J.Clyde’s from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Scottish Beer Pro, Stuart Carter, pours out knowledge over four beers and appetizers. Cost is $25. Reservations accepted but not required. Call 939.1312. |
| Today is the 52nd birthday of Meg Whitman, former President and CEO of eBay. Since resigning from eBay in March 2008, she is considering a run for Governor of California in 2010. |
 | Dame Miriam Rothschild, a leading entomologist and zoologist, was born on this day in 1908. Scientifically, she was a foremost expert on fleas and was the first person to figure out the biology of how fleas jump. Socially, she campaigned for the legalization of homosexuality in the U.K. in the 1960s and was a vegetarian—she refused to wear any form of leather or fur. |
 | Girls Incorporated of Central Alabama will hold its 16th annual Celebration Luncheon on Wednesday, August 6, 2008, at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center on U.S. 280 at 11:45 a.m. Call Megann Cain at 205.599.5683 with questions. |
| Scream for the good stuff during a tour at the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory in Sylacauga. Call 256.249.6100 to make a reservation. Admission is free. |
| Lucille Ball’s birthday is today…she clashed with CBS execs after they tried not to let her have a pregnancy storyline in her show. They finally caved, but still wouldn’t allow her to say “pregnant.” Throughout the episode, they had to refer to her as “expecting” instead. |
| Grandma Moses was born 148 years ago today. She started painting in her 70s after arthritis made it difficult for her to continue her art of embroidery. She went on to become one of America’s most popular folk artists and lived to the age of 101. |
 | Homewood Art and Design Thursdays mean your favorite downtown Homewood merchants stay open until 9 pm as well as offering special deals, snacks and entertainment. Check out the website for participating stores: http://homewoodartanddesign.com/. |
| From 5-9pm, featuring new arrivals from Department 56, Fontanini, Joy to the World, Radko and Mid-West. Receive 20 % discounts and a free gift just for showing up! 2914 Linden Avenue in Homewood. |
 | Second Annual Miss Hoover Pageant at Spain Park High School. 7:00 p.m. Tickets $10.00; available at the door. Preliminary event to Miss Alabama! |
| Head to Jemison for a class on cooking with and preserving herbs at Petals From the Past. petalsfromthepast.com. |
| On the 9th, 10th, and 16th of August |
| Janie Porter Barrett was born on this day in 1865. She founded the Virginia Industrial School for Colored Girls, a rehabilitation center for troubled girls which was centered on self-reliance and self-discipline. It became a model for other similar schools and was extremely successful—the majority of students found jobs and had families after leaving the facility. It became integrated in 1965 and still exists today under the name of the Barrett Learning Center. |
 | Mary Gove Nichols was born 198 years ago, today. She traveled the country speaking about women’s health and anatomy, but was scorned by many of her time for her belief in “free love” instead of marriage, which Nichols considered to be the “annihilation of women.” She believed that health, freedom and sexual liberation were all linked was an outspoken advocate for all three. |
 | Today would have been the 91st birthday of Gladys Bentley, a Harlem Renaissance blues singer. Openly lesbian during her early career (she dressed in tuxedos and top hats with a drag queen chorus line singing back-up and flirted with female patrons), during the McCarthy era, she put on dresses, married a man and claimed that taking female hormones had “cured” her, in order to avoid being put on trial. |
 | Party for Change: An evening of music and politics under the stars. Please join us on The Rooftop at the Kress Building for a final fundraising event as we count down to the Democratic Convention and offer our support to Barack Obama. Guest Speaker: Congressman Artur Davis. Cocktails; Hors d’oeuvres; Music by “Just a Few Cats” and “New Man”, with special invited guest, Ruben Studdard. Wednesday, August 13, from 6pm to 9pm in The Kress Building at 301 19th Street North. Minimum donation of $500 per person with limited availability. Please visit http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/main/PartyforChange08. Or you may send checks (payable to Obama Victory Fund) to 512 Kenilworth Drive/Homewood, AL 35209 (Payment must be received by Friday, August 8th). Melanie Jeffcoat 492.9886 | Rex Slate 335.8308 |Ted Hosp 334.233.7157. RSVP to mjeffcoat@charter.net or at one of the numbers above. Click here for more information. |
| Left-hander’s Day is today. Approximately 7-10% of the population is left-handed, and left-handed females are rarer than males. Joan of Arc, Queen Victoria, Eudora Welty, Greta Garbo and Ruth Bader Ginsberg are some of these unique, southpawed females. |
 | Put on your boogie shoes and make it out for Latin Dance Nite at Workplay. Free dance lessons start at 9:00 pm. Call 879.4773 for more information. |
| Running from August 14th to the 16th at 7:30 pm in the UAB Spencers Honor House. Doors open at 7:00 for this women’s theatre project. Donations will be taken for Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture (website www.torturecare.org.uk). Tejas Verdes is a series of monologues that tell stories related to “The Disappeared” of Chile and the aftermath of the military coup on September 11th, 1979. |
| Letitia Elizabeth Landon (often known as L.E.L.), a poet, was born on this day in 1802. While her poetry has not withstood the test of time, she was respected by her contemporaries for paving the way for other female writers. Christina G. Rossetti and Elizabeth Barrett Browning were just a few of her literary admirers who wrote tributes to her. |
 | Art Rocks at the Birmingham Art Museum from 5-10. Call 328.7628 for more information. |
| Julia Child, former assistant in the OSS’s Secret Intelligence division and celebrity chef and author, would have been 96 today. Her legendary persona and accessible recipes made her a pop culture icon. |
 | Good Golly, Miss Bolly. Come out to the Alys Stephens Center for the ASC Goes Bollywood event, featuring belly dancers, music, Bollywood movies, Indian food and a cash bar. Fun starts at 6:00 p.m. in the Haskell Courtyard at 1200 10th Avenue South. Admission is free for club members. Tickets are $10. Call 975.2787. |
| Chug along for a Train Ride through Shelby County’s Forests at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. See hodrrm.org for ticket information. |
| The West End Back to School Day is an event where children from West End neighborhoods can come and meet their neighbors, pick up free school supplies and enjoy a day in their community. The event has free food and rides for kids as well. It is held at the intersection of Cotton & Lomb Avenues from 11am-3pm on Saturday, August 16th. |
| Giant Outdoor Flea Market from 8 until 5 at Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park. Call 477.5711 for more details. |
| Madonna turns 50 today. From “Like a Virgin” to “4 Minutes,” she manages to push the envelope on the issue of sexuality and proves to be an enormous influence to society (Kabbalah, anyone?) while putting out an endless stream of shake-your-booty tunes. |
 | Hop On Stage at the Carver from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and hear local poets and orators, share their spoken word creations Free! See http://www.jazzhall.com/events.htm for more information. |
| Open microphone spoken word performances starting at 7:00 pm. 254.2731 |
| “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Mae West, stage and screen actress, who pushed the social limits on female sexuality, was born on this day in 1893. |
 | Become a part of skirt!s community Tuesday, August 19th starting at 5:30 as we celebrate the “Green Goddesses” of our August issue. $5 feature drink for Skirt Wearers – Greentini WorkPlay |
| Coco Chanel, the revolutionary designer who liberated women from centuries of corsets with simple, menswear inspired fashions, was born 125 years ago today. “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” |
 | The Bell Center Partners in Training Program for the Mercedes Marathon will host its kickoff party at Whole Foods on Thursday, August 21st at 6:30pm. |
| Blind Wine Tasting starting at 6 p.m. at Flower Stems. For more information, contact Meredith Smith, mesmith@ucpbham.com. |
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| Stir up some fun with the Sloss Furnaces Stokin' the Fire BBQ & Music Festival Friday from 4:00-11:00 p.m. and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Visit stokin.slossfurnaces.com for more details. |
 | Red Hot for the Cause Casino Night, Benefitting AIDS Alabama. Join us for an evening of dinner, drinks and dancing! Bid on fabulous silent auction items, and try your luck in the Red Hot Casino area featuring Texas Hold ‘Em, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, & Slots… then exchange your winnings at the end of the night for chances to win great prizes! Tickets are $50 and include hors d’oeuvres, beer & wine, & $1,000 play money to be used in the Red Hot Casino area. Order tickets and preview 2008 silent auction items at www.aidsalabama.org. |
| Heart Association’s Start Heart Walk at Regions Park. |
 | 4:00 pm at the Carver/Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Tickets are 5 dollars. |
 | Taste of the Nation at the McWane Science Center from 6 until 9. Mingle with the nation's hottest chefs and mixologists — all of whom are coming together to donate their time, talent and passion to end childhood hunger across America. Click here for tickets. |
| Head to Oak Mountain State Park from August 29th – September 1st for an underground arts movement campout. Bring your art, music, dance, food, water, tent, pets, and kids. Just three dollars. Camping Reservations: burningmanbirmingham@hotmail.com. More information at burningman.com. |
 | Cool in the shade with a tour of the 1840s Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens. Call 780.5656. Admission $5, with group rates also available. If not today, think about it tomorrow. |
| 88 years ago today our sister suffragettes earned the Woman’s Voting Right! |
| Today is Women’s Equality Day or Susan B. Anthony Day—it’s the 88th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment to the Constitution, allowing women the right to vote. |
| Today is also the 73rd birthday of Geraldine Ferraro, the first and only (so far) female Vice Presidential candidate for a major political party. In 1984 Walter Mondale selected her as his running mate in the campaign against Ronald Reagan. She went on to serve as a U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Commission of Human Rights under President Clinton’s administration, and also worked on Hillary Clinton’s campaign. |
 | Skate over to Irondale’s Zamora Shriners Temple and get down and derby as our own Tragic City Roller Derby Team takes on the Atlanta Roller Girls in an all out brawl. See tragiccityrollers.com for additional information. |
 | Today is National Trail Mix day. Pack a snack and head take a hike to Ruffner Mountain Park! |
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