Charm abounds in Alabama small towns and visitors can quickly explore the identity and personality of a community and likely enjoy some great food and family fun as well From butterbeans to grits and sweet tea to cider and welcoming guests mean festivals can be a wonderful way to spend a weekend or the perfect start to getting to know a new place to call home These nine Alabama towns in particular have the most unique festivals The Vestavia Hills Wing Ding spring festival is more than a community celebration and an enormous amount of chicken wings It is a unique and fun way to raise funds for local charities and organizations as well as fund scholarships for local students The festival is held on the lawn of City Hall and features old fashioned fun like children’s activities and a dunking booth The city of nearly 40,000 residents (2020 US Census) also hosts the annual Vestavia Hills Dogwood Festival Located in Talladega County, Childersburg is home to the Kymulga Grist Mill Park and its “locally famous” shrimp and grits The event kicks off summer with mill tours Try grits at the festival and then take home a bag to enjoy later The site features a historic covered bridge and miles of hiking trails with less than 5,000 residents according to the 2020 census with an impressive cave and underground waterfall Enterprise is home to the Alabama Sweet Tea Festival of course) and even a tea drinking contest Homemade versions differ widely in sweetness This festival allows brewers to show why their version is the best The tiny town of Ashland has a population of about 2,000 people but it also has a unique claim to fame as home of the Clay County Alabama Yellow-Meated Watermelon Festival This festival is here to tell you otherwise visitors can enjoy access to the Talladega National Forest and its more than 7,500 acres of wilderness The Sand Mountain Potato Festival has been an annual tradition in the small North Alabama town of Henagar since 1983 It is part July Fourth celebration and part community gathering all honoring the agricultural traditions of the area the celebration actually starts weeks in advance with the Sand Mountain Miss Potato Pageant It culminates in the holiday festivities held at Henagar Town Park creating a place for summer holiday memories for generations Located just a short jaunt from Auburn University the tiny hamlet of Loachapoka has just 160 residents in its 1.1 square miles but that number explodes to about 10,000 people each October on Syrup Sopping Day at Pioneer Park according to the Lee County Historical Society with demonstrations of sugar cane milling and syrup making on the museum grounds of the Lee County Historical Society plus more local cuisine than any one visitor could try including sweet potato fritters and corn muffins Local artisans and crafters are also on hand to sell their unique creations What’s better than a cup of hot cider on a crisp December evening? How about the Sippin’ Cider Festival, complete with complimentary samples of favorite warm cider recipes to enjoy while you finish holiday shopping. Stop at merchants throughout downtown Athens and savor downtown in and around the Limestone County Courthouse Square It will host the 15th annual Sippin’ Cider Festival in 2025 A lot of Southern states have Peach Festivals, but the summer celebration in Clanton is much more specific focuses its love on sweet farm bounty and loads of live music in its annual Peach Jam Jubilee This is a music festival for the whole family with performances by country and gospel musicians and with a lot of peaches available for good measure In these nine Alabama towns that have the most unique festivals and get to know the people who call these towns home There might be no better way than by joining in the fun and embracing the unique festivals that are part of each town’s individual personality visitors take a little of these communities home and they might just start planning a return trip to reunite with new friends and continue supporting the local businesses that make small towns thrive photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com                       Rebels take first-day Lead at the 80th State Tennis Championships      The boys’ tennis link is: https://tennisreporting.com/event/brackets/604?division=977&host=2913&matchType=Doubles&isConsolation=false&flight=1 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 2008-2009 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInVESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (WBRC) - Two people have been detained after police found a woman with multiple injuries in Vestavia Hills Saturday Vestavia Hills Police responded to a call for service at the Chevron gas station in the 700 block of Montgomery Hwy Officers arrived and found a woman with multiple cuts and lacerations on her arms and a leg She was taken to a local hospital for treatment officers discovered that the incident which caused the woman’s injuries had happened at another location After traveling to the location of the incident police detained two suspects and took them to the Vestavia Hills Jail for further questioning and no further information is available at this time Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here Are you looking for a new home across Alabama We’ve got 31 new and coming soon listings for you to check out this weekend – you’re sure to find the perfect home for you For more, click here All content on this site is Copyright ©  Rushing Waters Media LLC/The Bama Buzz 2020-2025 Privacy Policy Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. General AlertABC 33/40   See MoreFalling tree limbs in Birmingham kills one person – A woman was found with several cuts and lacerations on her arm and leg after police responded to a call on the 700 block of Montgomery Highway at approximately 8:43 p.m according to the Vestavia Hills Police Department The Vestavia Hills Fire Department treated the victim at the scene before she was transported to a local hospital Further investigation revealed that the incident occurred at a different location Officers subsequently located and detained two potential suspects at the original scene of the offense The suspects were taken to the Vestavia Hills City Jail and are being held pending further investigation No additional information is available at this time Falling tree limbs in Birmingham kills one person There is currently a water main break in Vestavia Hills The police department says it is in the area of Post Oak and Southridge Drive The Birmingham Water Works has been made aware of the break Firefighters responded to a fire at an apartment complex in Vestavia Hills Tuesday night The incident happened in the 2400 block of Yellowhammer Hill shortly before 9:00 p.m Heavy flames and smoke could be seen coming from one of the buildings Firefighters said the fire was under control and no residents or firefighters were injured and Vestavia Hills fire departments all responded How to watch Alabama high school softball: Vestavia Hills vs Vestavia Hills High School will host Hewitt-Trussville High School How to watch Hewitt-T'ville vs. Vestavia Hills softballHewitt-T'ville and Vestavia Hills will match up on Saturday, April 26, at 2:30 p.m. CT. Don't miss out on any of the action with NFHS Network The NFHS Network gives you access to live high school sports around the country Follow your favorite team and never miss a game Want to track your alma mater, local team or family member's school throughout the playoffs? NFHS Network has high school softball streaming live plus on-demand replays and highlights of all the action from thousands of schools across America Watch Vestavia Hills vs. Hewitt-T'ville on NFHS Network! All NFHS Network events are available to watch online at NFHS Network and through the NFHS Network Mobile Apps for iOS and Android and TV Apps for ROKU (WBMA) — A man was arrested after a window at the Vestavia Hills City Schools Board of Education building was shot through late Sunday night The Vestavia Hills Police Department said 34-year-old Kyle Anthony Kozak was charged with "Shooting into an Unoccupied Building." There was no one inside the building at the time of the incident Jefferson County jail records show Kozak has since bonded out The police department said around 11:50 p.m. a round was fired into the building from a vehicle traveling northbound on U.S Investigators eventually named Kozak as a suspect The Vestavia City Schools system released the following statement about the incident: — City staff conducted an in-depth review of the two shelter areas in Liberty Park on Monday morning these shelters are not fully functional for use during tornadoes though they can serve as temporary shelters from heavy rain and lightning "The bones are in place but improvements are necessary to provide adequate shelters," city staff said They have been in contact with the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency to determine what is needed to bring the shelters into compliance Potential improvements include the installation of bathroom facilities replacement and maintenance of generators and fire monitoring equipment training of staff to serve as shelter managers These upgrades will incur unbudgeted costs which will be presented to the City Council for consideration once fully identified Vestavia Hills senior Luke Bedwell serves on his way to a second straight AHSAA State Championship at the No Bedwell's team won its fourth straight team title.AHSAA .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By AL.com ReportsThe AHSAA’s 2025 Class 7A State Tennis Championships at Mobile Tennis Center turned out to be a repeat of sorts of the 2024 state finals Montgomery Academy’s Gabby Barerra claimed the girls No 1 singles championship state title for the third year in a row Vestavia Hills’ Luke Bedwell captured the Class 7A Boys’ No 1 singles crown for the second consecutive year And the Vestavia Hills boys and girls tennis teams repeated as champions – thanks to a strong lineup that captured four girls singles titles and all three doubles championships and the Rebels’ boys won five individual singles flight championships and all three doubles titles as well Vestavia Hills has won four consecutive boys team titles while the girls have taken two straight and three of the past four finished with 57 points – more than doubling runner-up Montgomery Academy which totaled 26 points to edge Florence (24) and Hoover (23) for second Bedwell (28-1) beat the Montgomery Academy’s John Alford (36-5) to claim the top singles title 6-1 3 singles champion Louis Kolettis (26-4) to win the No 1 doubles title as well – beating Hoover’s duo of Chen Joiner and Cade Black in a tough final 2 singles champ Andrew Pipkin (22-1) joined with No 5 singles champ Daniel Cather (25-4) to win the No Montgomery Academy’s Gabby Barrera finished unbeaten at 30-0 this season to win her third straight AHSAA Class 7A No Barrera (30-0) finished undefeated on the season closing out the 80th AHSAA State Tennis Championship week with a 7-5 6-2 victory over Huntsville’s Mazie MacGrotty (15-1) in a battle of unbeatens in the 7A No Paul’s Pearce Graf (28-0) also finished her season unbeaten on the way to the No 2 singles finals over Vestavia’s Madison Standifer (18-4) with a 6-4 Vestavia Hills coach Timarie Fisk’s girls also claimed singles championships with Kenley Outzen (22-4) at No 6 – and Vestavia swept all three doubles titles Visit this link for complete girls results from Friday. The boys’ results from Friday are at this link CLASS 7A GIRLS SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS CLASS 7A BOYS SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS 3: Ben Cusmariu/Parker Liu/Vestavia Hills def Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInVESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (WBRC) - Several businesses in Vestavia Hills made changes after burglars broke in overnight Some restaurants along Montgomery Highway closed their doors on Thursday “They broke into that little window over there,” said Kevin Sarabia the assistant manager at Sol Azteca Mexican Restaurant I don’t think they had enough time to think what to do because the alarm went off.” Sarabia is relieved the burglars did not have enough time to take any money He said the criminals broke in around 1 a.m Thursday morning and his family was almost there like an hour before they broke in,” Sarabia said “It’s scary to know that either somebody was already spying on him While people could still walk inside Sol Azteca on Thursday The Cuban restaurant posting it too was targeted Sarabia added that multiple businesses were hit and the Vestavia Hills Police Department is now investigating taking all sorts of pictures around the restaurant Sarabia had a message for the criminals who did this “The season’s coming where the Lord is going to be born so I hope that they can find that forgiveness with the Lord and then with the community as well or has information that can help the family-owned restaurant management urges them to report it to police The Vestavia Hills Police Department can be contacted at 205-823-1153 Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInVESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (WBRC) - Vestavia Hills Police say a man is under arrest for shooting into the Vestavia Hills Board of Education building is charged with shooting into an unoccupied building a round was fired from a vehicle traveling northbound on Highway 31 that struck a window at the Vestavia Hills City Schools Board of Education building There were no BOE personnel in the building at the time Police believe this to be an isolated incident and that there are no known threats to Vestavia Hills schools a new antique store popped up on Kentucky Avenue near Vestavia City Center—Piddlin Art & Antique The store offers a wide array of vintage and handmade goods from several local artists and makers about what makes this new store an instant gem in the Vestavia Hills community Carol has been an artist for as long as she can remember always creating some kind of new craft or art piece a craft store on Montgomery Highway that offered craft supplies custom screenprinting and smocking supplies that just blew away the fine art of actually having to draw something‘ things have changed a lot since I opened my first store It closed in 2006 and now it’s almost 20 years later I guess I just can’t not do it!” After nearly 20 years of running the store Carol closed the shop to focus on spending time with her grandchildren Carol is back in the crafting game with the opening of Piddlin Art & Antique the concept is a little different—it’s more like an antique mall including some of Carol’s own pieces I even left with a new piece to add to my own home Carol plans to host art classes like watercolor “We’re trying to do a variety of classes We’ve got two already coming up that are the watercolor classes I’m kind of hoping that people will tell us what they want Want to get involved or teach a class? Send an inquiry to info@piddlin.studio For more stories like this, follow @bhamnow on Facebook + Instagram All content on this site is Copyright ©  Rushing Waters Media LLC/Bham Now 2016-2025 The Vestavia Hills High School speech and debate team won its fourth straight state championship in 2025 Vestavia Hills High School’s speech and debate team this year captured its fourth straight state championship and seventh championship in nine years The Rebels took top honors among 20 teams competing for the 2025 state title who has coached the school’s speech and debate team for the past 11 years while third place went to the Loveless Academic Magnet Program Vestavia Hills’ team had six students named as individual state champions and two of those — Tina Gao and Veronica Zhang — had two first-place finishes this year For those unfamiliar with speech and debate competitions at the state competition there are 12 types of speech events and three types of debate events students go through three rounds of preliminary competitions and the top six students make it into the finals where they are scored by a three-judge panel students go through three preliminary rounds and then the top eight competitors get seeded and play through a bracket competition much like the NCAA basketball Elite Eight bracket Those final eight then compete head to head until a winner comes out on top Points are given for top finishers in each event to determine which team is the state champion (WBMA) — A new indoor pickleball center is set to open in Vestavia Hills next year The Picklr announced Wednesday that its Vestavia / Birmingham Alabama club is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025 The company said the 28,000 sq ft location will feature 10 indoor courts with four championship courts with high-quality proprietary outdoor surfacing from Just Courts the official court layer for The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and The Picklr The location will also feature a full pro shop and private event space for members SEE ALSO:Norton's Florist hands out hundreds of bouquets of flowers for 'Petal it Forward' SEE ALSO:7-year-old from Pell City to compete at MLB World Series in softball competition The Picklr Birmingham will be located in Vestavia Hills in a newly renovated former Sprouts building at Vestavia Commons The company said members of The Picklr will have access to unlimited open play and tournaments as well as an option to enroll in private and semi-private lessons and clinics by The Picklr’s certified trainers Members will have the ability to use their membership at all of The Picklr locations nationwide AL (Vestavia Hills) means the community will benefit from the best-in-class indoor pickleball experience offered anywhere,” said Shannon M LLC the State of Alabama’s largest indoor pickleball club franchisee/operator “The Picklr takes indoor pickleball to the next level with state-of-the-art clubs combined with a ‘player-first’ optimal environment making The Picklr your best choice for indoor pickleball.” Players can learn more about the Birmingham / Vestavia location at https://thepicklr.com/location/birmingham/ Recently, the Vestavia Hills Rebels announced the following slate of games for 2025 season including three notable games against Hewitt-Trussville Among the other teams on the schedule are Auburn Below is the Vestavia Hills Rebels 2025 Football Schedule Game times will be announced at a later date 2025 Schedule!#1REBEL pic.twitter.com/U9cSmcGdqr Auburn (Thursday Night Football) (Senior Night) Montgomery Catholic (Thursday Night Football) Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App ROSS VAN DE GRIEKRoss Van De Griek has been a high school sports writer covering the state of Florida since 2021 Ross also has been scouting high school basketball and Grassroots Basketball across the Southeast Region since 2022 Ross has been covering basketball and recruiting for High School on SI since August 2024 and On The Radar Hoops throughout his scouting career You can follow him on X @rossvdg14 or reach him via email rossvdg14@gmail.com for story ideas © 2025 ABG-SI LLC - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Teenage actor Hudson Meek has died after he fell out of a moving vehicle in Alabama according to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office Meek made his on-screen debut in 2014's “The Santa Con,” and had roles in various TV series including “MacGyver.” He was perhaps best known for his role in the 2017 film “Baby Driver,” in which he played a younger version of Ansel Elgort's titular character “His 16 years on this earth were far too short but he accomplished so much and significantly impacted everyone he met,” a post on Meek's Instagram page read Meek played football at Vestavia Hills High School enjoyed Bible study with his teammates and had traveled to all 50 states making music playlists for his friends and singing in the school choir His family plans a funeral and memorial service on Saturday that will be livestreamed on Meek's Instagram account — Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights is celebrating a century of educational excellence marking its 100th anniversary with a community celebration this week who taught at the school from 1971 to 1994 expressed her pride in the school's history "It's just really exciting," Brackett said recalled the school's role as a beacon for educational progress "We worked to address new learning disabilities and so we had a unit here that was one of the first three in the county," she said Current principal Kim Polson emphasized the long standing community involvement and teacher support seen over the years "One thing that's stayed the same is the community involvement originally part of the Jefferson County school district was long believed to have opened in the 1930s recent research by the Cahaba Heights community revealed that the original facility opened in 1924 "This centennial celebration represents a remarkable achievement for our school community," Polson said our school has been part of the fabric of Cahaba Heights and we’re excited to share this momentous occasion with the entire community." The school opened a Living History Museum that featured timelines from students as well as historical artifacts from alumni and the community Current students ended the celebration by burying a time capsule for the next generation to find A lot vacant since 2016 in Vestavia Hills will be the new site of Ace Hardware store Earlier this week, The Retail Companies successfully assisted DALK Land LP in acquiring the 1.08-acre outparcel at 600 Old Town Road, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216.  the lot was the home to a restaurant called Ichiban which was destroyed by a fire eight years ago.  “This new store will fill a much-needed gap in the local market providing residents and businesses in the area with a trusted source for home improvement products and services The site has held untapped potential since the Ichiban fire and we’re excited to help turn it into something valuable for the community.” Construction of the 10,000-square-foot Ace Hardware store is expected to begin soon The Retail Companies has been busy in October. In addition to Ace Hardware’s development, the real estate company brokered a deal to bring Pickr Birmingham one of Alabama’s first indoor pickleball centers to the state “The Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce is super excited to welcome The Picklr to our North 31 Business District and Ace Hardware to our South 31 Business District.” Are you happy to see Ace Hardware coming to Vestavia Hills? Tell us what you think on social media by tagging us at @bhamnow Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards Dave’s Hot Chicken, one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in America with a cult-like following is opening in Vestavia Hills on November 8 The new Dave’s Hot Chicken will be located in the Vestavia City Center at a 3,600-square-foot space previously occupied by Ironstone Pizza It will be the popular hot-chicken joint’s first location in Alabama Known for its take on Nashville-style Hot Chicken Dave’s Hot Chicken has a short and sweet menu of chicken dishes with heat levels ranging from “No Spice” to the eyewatering “Reaper.” The eatery specializes in Hot Chicken Sliders Sides and drinks that will help “cool down” the heat from the chicken include: Follow Bham Now on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on Dave’s Hot Chicken + more breaking news in Birmingham owner of the Chevron gasoline station at 705 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills plans to open a package store called Iron City Package Store in a strip shopping center at 2409 Acton Road The target opening date is sometime in April The store will cover about 1,500 square feet The Picklr a new 28,000-square-foot indoor pickleball facility is scheduled to open in the former Sprouts Farmers Market store at 1031 Montgomery Highway a pro shop and a restaurant and will host local pickleball leagues The franchise will be owned and operated by Patrick Denney Vestavia Hills resident and principal of Altera AIP-Vestavia a Pro Pickleball Association and Association of Pickleball Players pro player has joined the facility as its club coordinator Parkside Pet Hospital has signed a lease to occupy a 3,600-square-foot space in the Marketplace at The Bray shopping center in Liberty Park which is handling leasing for the shopping center Birmingham Martial Art II and HaMi Boutique Parkside Pet Hospital provides veterinary care with a full range of medical services that includes exams as well as grooming services and nutritional products Harbert Retail’s Casey Howard and Lacey Scott represented the landlord in the leasing deal a new restaurant at 3160 Cahaba Heights Road got its license to sell alcoholic beverages approved by the Vestavia Hills City Council on Feb The Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce is having a Lunch & Learn event with Payroll & Benefit Solutions on March 5 at 11:30 a.m. at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center’s Magnolia Room. Lunch will be provided. To register, go to vestaviahills.org/events.details/lunch-and-learn-7091 The Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce’s regular monthly luncheon is scheduled for Tuesday at the Vestavia Country Club at 400 Beaumont Drive The scheduled speaker is Megyn Rodriguez of the Small Business Administration and the program begins at noon and should end about 1 p.m Reservations cost $25 through March 6 and $30 after that The Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce’s Business Development Committee invites business people to come learn about new things happening in the business community and city at large  and help develop ideas about how to build a better community on Thursday at the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce office at 1090 Montgomery Highway The Mia Moda clothing and gift boutique closed its brick-and-mortar store at 1425 Montgomery Highway in the Park South Plaza shopping center on Jan Owner Tammy Flowers said she’s going into semi-retirement and will operate Mia Moda as an online business only from this point forward to allow her more flexibility with her time Flowers said Mia Moda has been in business for 22 years and in Park South Plaza since 2009