Happy 200th Birthday, Tuscaloosa!
The Tuscaloosa Bicentennial Commission has been hosting celebratory events since the city’s 199th birthday on December 13th, 2018. Everything has been leading up to this weekend! We are thrilled to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime commemoration of 200 years of history, progress, and future promise. Below is a list of events you can find during the weekend of celebration. Check the bottom of this email for a list of even more events happening around Tuscaloosa!
200 Voices: Tusca200sa Sings
Join the Bicentennial for a musical extravaganza tonight at 7 p.m. in the Moody Music Building on the UA campus. Tusca200sa Sings is a free concert featuring West Alabama’s most talented singers in a unique celebration of our city’s 200th birthday. Sponsored by the School of Music at the University of Alabama, the program features performances ranging from classic spirituals to contemporary country hits. We will also debut a new piece written in honor of Tuscaloosa’s Bicentennial by Kirsten Hicks. “Tuscaloosa Song” will be an enduring anthem for our city. Learn the lyrics before you go HERE. No tickets are necessary! This is a family-friendly event and the perfect way to kick off the Bicentennial celebration.
Dedication of the Bicentennial Sculptures & Time Capsule
On Friday morning at 10 a.m. The University of Alabama will unveil two sculptures that are gifts to the citizens of Tuscaloosa from the University.
The Walkway honors Tuscaloosa’s 200-year history from 1819 to 2019. A replica of the route of the Black Warrior River from Demopolis to Tuscaloosa, it traces milestones in our city’s existence and survival, but it twists and turns, ebbs and flows have mirrored our city’s past. The sculpture was created by Craig R. Wedderspoon.
Minerva is the Roman Goddess of wisdom and adorns the institutional seal of The University of Alabama. She serves as a symbol of the strength of the University as it creates, translates, and disseminates knowledge. The towering and majestic sculpture was designed and created by Caleb O’Connor. Declared by Ovid as “the Goddess of a thousand works,” Minerva will beautify Manderson Landing as a reminder we are all one community with a shared vision of impacting the world through teaching, research, and service.
The Time Capsule seeks to answer “What was life like in Tuscaloosa during the year 2019?” A Time Capsule Committee was formed and the group compiled submissions for ways to represent life in Tuscaloosa during this Bicentennial year. From traffic cones to Alabama football memorabilia, the contents describe a full picture of life in 2019. The capsule will be opened when Tuscaloosa celebrates our 250th birthday in 2069.
Christmas Tree Lighting & Bicentennial Christmas Parade
The celebrations continue Friday evening with the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse. The public ceremony will begin at 5:15 and officially kicks off the holiday celebrations.
PARA’s 44th Annual Christmas Parade will celebrate Tuscaloosa’s 200th birthday. The 2019 Grand Marshals are the Tuscaloosa Bicentennial’s Co-Chairs Tim Parker, Cathy Randall, and Harrison Taylor. As written in the nomination, “Each is deserving of the recognition individually but together they make up the Dream Team.” Find out more information about the parade at PARA’s website here.
Fireworks will begin at the amphitheater following the parade!
More Events
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963
Georgia Dish Boys at Alcove Tavern
Little Raine Band at The Booth
Christmas Parade Bama Belle Cruise
We have a lot going on throughout the upcoming fall months and are excited to share more. Give us a follow on our social media pages (@visittuscaloosa) for more announcements and future events. We can’t wait to see you around Tuscaloosa!