Northport Looks To Capitalize On Growth With New Community Events

NORTHPORT, AL — City officials in Northport are hoping to capitalize on the city's rapid growth by putting an increased emphasis on offering free, large-scale community events.

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Following the success of its recent Deep Dive Into Summer — an event to help kick off the Tuscaloosa Public Library's Summer Reading Program — the possibilities moving forward seem endless, as Northport leaders work to develop offerings to appeal to those in the city and beyond.

"I think what we've seen with our two events here at City Hall, with our Holiday Open House and Deep Dive Into Summer, there's an appetite for free, family-friendly events here," Northport City Administrator Glenda Webb told Patch following Monday's meeting of the City Council's Community Outreach Committee. "We want to cater to those families who are looking for something to do here locally. With that, we know it spurs economic growth and development, so we're looking for however we can partner to do that."

Indeed, both events mentioned by Webb saw strong attendance, providing the encouragement needed for city leaders to begin thinking ahead to other similar offerings.

The next event on the horizon for Northport will be Groove & Grub on June 7 from 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 P.M. at the Riverside Middle School track

The free community celebration will be geared toward kicking off summer and will feature food trucks and live music.

Performers for Groove & Grub

• The Chase Evan Band
• The Locked Band
• The URI Band
• DJ Tank Sinatra

While District 2 Councilman Woodrow Washington III expressed excitement for the event in his district, he also mentioned the possibility of the city hosting a similar event in the area of Highway 43 N in August.

But perhaps the biggest event discussed was the possibility of Northport hosting its own Veterans Day parade — something that has not been held in Tuscaloosa County for some time.

"One thing is, there is not a Veterans Day parade," Webb said. "There are activities, but as far as west Alabama, I don’t know of one. My suggestion is we use the former County High parade route and look at hosting up to 50 groups of people and us doing some decorations of flags or bunting in the area, so it could have a festive feel ... This is an event I think we can all offer this year. We've been studying events we can do well this year, as well as growing in the future."

The goal is to focus on a manageable size for the parade, Webb explained, which provides a template for growth if the parade is successful.

Another hypothetical discussed Monday would be a concept similar to the Tinsel Trail in Tuscaloosa, which benefits Tuscaloosa's One Place.

For Northport, the focus would be on Easter and the possible creation of a "Bunny Trail," where large Easter eggs would be placed around downtown and decorated by different businesses, similar to the way Christmas trees are featured on the Tinsel Trail.

"The [Tuscaloosa's One Place] board approved it, so Wednesday we will meet with them to talk with them about how it might go," Webb said, before mentioning that the Bunny Trail festivities could also include an egg hunt and lead into the end of spring with an event with the Tuscaloosa Public Library. "We can get corporations to sponsor, it serves as a fundraiser for Tuscaloosa's One Place and give us something’s that's our own."

With Ol' Colony Golf Complex hosting an LPGA qualifier event for the Epson Tour this September, talk then turned to October 2023 and the possibilities for events during the Halloween season.

"Something for next October, not this year," Webb said. "So for a haunted house, we discussed that and it's not very feasible to have here at City Hall. So we could do a Haunted Trail."

Webb then pointed to a new recreation area along Rose Boulevard, which already has a system of trails that could be easily turned into a Halloween-themed offering.

"So we would like to think for 2023, about how we might produce an event or haunted trails," she said. "Next time in Finance Committee, we’ll be bringing budget amendments to discuss how we move forward with events."

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