🌱 Sidewalk Film Festival Begins + Vanderbilt Road Scrap Yard Fire

Hey, hello! I'm back with your fresh edition of the Birmingham Daily. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening in town today.

First, today's weather:

Humid with a stray thunderstorm. High: 78 Low: 70.

Here are the top three stories today in Birmingham:

1. Birmingham's Carver Theatre is lighting up again for the Sidewalk Film Festival after three years of painstaking renovation and restoration. This year’s Sidewalk Film Festival kicks off today (Aug. 22) and will run through Sunday, Aug. 28. Later this month, the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival will take place on the street in front of the theater. (Birmingham Times)
2. Over the weekend, Birmingham Fire and Rescue responded to a scrap yard fire. The fire occurred on 1900 Vanderbilt Rd. where heavy smoke and fire were visible at the scene. Fortunately, no injuries were reported at the time of this writing. (WBRC)
3. The Birmingham Public Library’s “Community Connection Series” has two more installments occurring this month. The series is a set of free programs that offer resources on education and health for the public. The Community Connection Series is hosted each Wednesday in August as a four-hour program providing information about wellness, employment, and public works. The program on Aug. 24 will cover Housing Assistance and Programs, while the Aug. 31 session will cover Early Intervention/Substance Abuse Recovery information. (AL.com)

Today in Birmingham:

• Sunrise Yoga At UAB (7:30 AM)
• BLS Provider Course At Attentive Safety CPR And Safety Training (4:30 PM)
• Sidewalk Film Festival At Carver Theatre (5:00 PM)
• Birmingham Bandstand (Open Mic) At The Nick (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The start of the fall semester brings plenty of new UAB students to the Birmingham area. Bham Now shared this guide with great insider "local" tips for college students, including where to shop, park, and eat. (Bham Now)
• Mark your calendars: The 20th Annual Fiesta Birmingham is coming up on Sep. 24. The event, which is described as the largest celebration of Hispanic culture and heritage in Alabama, will be held from noon to 8:00 p.m. in Linn Park. For more information and tickets, visit fiestabham.com. (Vestavia Voice)
• House hunting? Don't miss these five newly-listed properties in Birmingham, ranging from a $16,000 empty lot to a 4-bed, 4-bath home on Hermitage Circle listed at $549,900. (Birmingham Patch)

Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you soon!

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander, now living in New York. She works as a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.