a great event for every day

9 THURS

Birmingham Fashion Week The second annual Birmingham Fashion Week got underway yesterday with a kick-off party at the Gus Mayer store at the Summit. Tonight’s event is the search for the Next Top Designer with 5 finalists being selected out of 11 Emerging Designers as well as 9 finalists being selected from 18 Rising Design Stars. Soca boutique in Homewood will host the first event while Laura Kathryn boutique in Mountain Brook will be holding the latter. Also the after party will be at my favorite jazz club, Ona’s in Pepper Place. Keep in mind that the BFW benefits many great charities including Camp Smile-A-Mile which helps kids with Cancer in Alabama and Alabama Forever, a foundation formed in response to the devastating tornadoes last April. So for high fashion and a great time this weekend make sure to check out some of the events at this year’s BFW which will be running until Saturday night. For more information please visit www.bhamfashionweek.com.

10 FRI

Rascal Flatts with Sara Evans and Hunter Hayes This weekend we have one of the biggest acts in country music, really music in general, Rascal Flatts will be at the BJCC. Over the last decade RF has been hitting all kinds of milestones and received numerous awards as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Birmingham’s Sara Evans will also be in the line up to perform tonight too. Tickets range from $35 to $73 depending on where you want to sit. Tickets can be purchased at the BJCC ticket office or on Ticketmaster if you have any additional questions please call 1-800-745-3000. Show starts at 8 o’clock.

11 SAT

O’Reilly World of Wheels. February 10-12. The O’Reilly World of Wheels will be back at the BJCC all weekend with several popular events and celebrities. Billy the Exterminator, who happens to be from my hometown, will be signing autographs as well as Bella Thorne from the hit Disney show Shake it up! Also, the most famous Sea Sponge, Sponge Bob will be on hand to take photos with the kids for a nominal fee of course. There truly is a lot more to list but so be sure to come down and check it out. $5 for kids and $16 for adults. Please call the BJCC for more information as some celebrities have set times when they will be signing autographs etc.

12 SUN

Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend Presented by Birmingham Marathon at Boutwell Municipal Auditorium February 11-12. A very popular event the Mercedes-Benz Marathon is back again this weekend. The half marathon is going to happen on Saturday and there are several events and times which are too much to be listed here so for that purpose I will list some general information. The marathon will start at 7:03am on Sunday and you will have 6 hours to complete. Registration is already closed at this point but you should know that you must  pick up your packets and info on Friday from noon to 7pm at St. Vincent Health Systems in the Boutwell Auditorium, which will also be the starting location for both the half and full marathon races. There will be no pickup of your packets on race day at all so be sure to be there Friday. For more information please visit mercedesmarathon.com or call 205-870-7771.

13 MON

Creating Memorable Images with Your Digital Camera I got wind of this class and thought it to be an interesting activity with some real world application. Myself included I have a nice and expensive digital camera which I know little to nothing about as it was an impulse buy some months ago. So when I saw this opportunity to actually learn how to manipulate this piece of hi-tech machinery I jumped. Birmingham Botanical Gardens will be hosting this class today from 6 – 7:30 pm which will inform one on how to take the pictures wanted, integrate the camera with the computer and software, how light is used and setup among several other things. The fee for the class is $125 but consider it an investment as you will have squandered much more than that if your new camera just collects dust.

14 TUES

Valentine’s Day Ah, that time of year again. Spring is approaching and Russell Stover’s, Hallmark and 1-800-Flowers are getting ready to cash in. Some may think, mostly men, that this a trumped up “Holiday” by which the aforementioned companies and the like created in order to boost sales. I cannot say that I disagree completely but upon pain of death I dare you to say that to your girlfriend. It is a fact that Valentine’s Day is the busiest day of the year for restaurant’s and in the past I have found it worked out better to actually avoid the clutter and crowds and stay home and cook something with your significant other. I suppose if you don’t get a chance to go out much than this day is a good one for that but for the people that eat out literally every week, like myself, something out of the norm is always better. This is not to say however that you don’t want to be known around your wife’s works’ water cooler as the guy that “went to Jared’s” because that is a good thing. Either way have fun, stay safe… oh and if you are making plans for tonight right now, good luck and Godspeed.

15 WED

International Find a New Mate Day Unbeknown to most, today is international find a new mate day. After Valentine’s Day failures or the lack of a significant other on the previous day people can be down in the dumps. Not to fear however, as today is the day that happy hours at singles bars are the most crowded in the entire year, which is a completely unsubstantiated fact that I did make up. But who cares? So now is the best time to get back on the wagon, cowboy up, or whatever you want to call it and put yourself out there to let others know that you are available. In other news, roses and chocolates have hit a new low today sending shockwaves through the market.

16 THURS

UAB Women’s Basketball vs. SMU I have given a shout out to The Blazers women’s basketball team before and I will do it again. The Blazers are returning after a winning season last year and tonight will be facing the SMU Mustangs at the UAB Bartow Arena at 7pm. Tickets are only $5 so come out and support a local school this evening. Geaux Blazers!