Weekend Roundup August 7-9
Congratulations – you made it to Thursday, and the weekend is right around the corner!
This is especially awesome if you’re in the midst of the first week back at school. (Who else is having a rough transition back to the school schedule?)
Another event happening this weekend that’s not free, but for an incredibly important cause is the annual Miracle Bash hosted by the Huntsville Hospital Foundation. This is a cause near and dear to our hearts here at RCM, especially since one of our own recently had a NICU experience that helped their newborn thrive.
And now… let’s round ’em up! We’ve listed our favorite free/cheap events happening in Huntsville and North Alabama this weekend to optimize your chances of family fun.
Great Deals!
All Weekend
Cost: Cheap!
Various locations
Rocket City Consignment: Going on now through August 9th at Madison Square Mall, this seasonal consignment sale offers infant thru adult clothing, home decor, electronics, toys, books and more! Be sure to check out the deal just for RCM Readers on our new smartphone app!
25¢ Book Sale: The Friends of the Library 25¢ Sale will be Saturday, August 8th, from 9am to 3:30pm in the Auditorium at the Downtown branch of the Library. There will be several thousand items for sale in many categories including history, religion, children’s books, biography, engineering, computer, hardback and paperback fiction, and audio-visual.
Farmer’s Markets: There are five farmer’s markets happening this weekend, and all are chock full of delicious local produce & products. Lucky for you we have them all (with a map!) in our Farmer’s Market Directory.
Main Street Music Festival
Thursday – Saturday
Cost: Free Admission
Main Street, Albertville (map)
Main Street Music Festival is a FREE 2 day event set in the heart of downtown Albertville, Alabama. Music, arts & crafts, food, children’s activities and more! There will be a balloon show, a bike parade, an inflatable water park and… THE WEINERMOBILE, in addition to 12+ musical performances with headliners 38 Special, Tracey Lawrence and Exile.
Help Build a Tiny House
Saturday & Sunday
Cost: Free
Sci-Quest Hands On Science Center (map)
Can you build a house in one weekend? Volunteers from Foundations for Tomorrow along with the Alabama Center for Sustainable Energy are doing just that as they show residents how to build and power a tiny home in just two days in Sci-Quest’s parking lot! Visitors are invited out to see this moveable tiny home being built from start to finish and learn what it takes to makes these living spaces. There will be different educational stations inside the Science Center to learn about construction and energy, self-sufficiency and important life skills as the home is built. When complete, the tiny home will be donated to an Alabama homeless citizen showing that we can change a life in one weekend. More details here.
Education Celebrations
Saturday starting at 8AM
Cost: Free
Grissom High School (map)
J.O. Johnson High School (map)
There are two different education celebrations taking place this Saturday and both look super fun!
Commissioner Phil Riddick is sponsoring the 5th Annual Education Celebration to celebrate the schools in his district. There will be activities for attendees and entertainment and demonstration stages, attendees will have the opportunity to support their favorite school/s and win great prizes. Event ends at Noon.
Over at Johnson High School there will be a “Celebrating Education Parade” starting at 8am. The parade will lead out at the Dollar General Market on Blue Spring Road and end on the campus of Johnson High School. There are several events planned on the campus; moon bounce, water slide, obstacle course, kickball tournament, entertainment inside the gym. PLUS, the featured artist just happens to be RCM favorite Unknown Lyric! Activities will go on until 1PM on Saturday.
According to JOJ PTSA President Michelle Watkins, “the purpose of the parade is to get students excited about education, engage parents and teachers, while reaching out to the community for support.”
Back to School Skate
Saturday from 11Am-3PM
Cost: Free, RSVP required, donations requested
Carousel Skate Center (map)
The best event of the weekend – but we might be a tiny bit biased. We’re kicking the new school year off right with a skating party & school supply drive! Admission and skate rental are FREE although you will need to reserve your space with a ticket. We’ll have lots of fun games, activities, and door prizes for those in attendance so start practicing your powerslide! More info & RSVP here.
Catch a Ride On the Dog Days Express
Saturday at 10AM
Cost: $10
North AL Railroad Museum (map)
Looking for a cool way to spend those hot summer days? There are two air-conditioned coaches ready for you to ride in comfort. You can stroll through the coaches, enjoy the view from the baggage car, visit the on-board souvenir shop, or just relax in your seat as your listen to the clickety-clack of the wheels on the track. Order your tickets today to ensure your space on our train! Purchase tickets here, or by calling 256-851-NARM.
[box style=”lavender rounded” ]DISCLAIMER: We do our best at Rocket City Mom to provide accurate, useful information about events and activities. This information (such as times and locations) is gathered from user submissions, press releases, local newspapers, signs around town and word of mouth. While we always try to confirm details before they are posted here, sometimes details change or we are given inaccurate information. Whenever possible we link our write-ups to the source in which our information came from and strongly urge you to confirm details before you go, especially when it comes to outdoor events and weather. [/box]Rocket City Mom is a website about raising children in and around Huntsville, Alabama. Started in late 2010 by a local mom and newcomer to Huntsville, Rocket City Mom has grown into a thriving community of local parents and now boasts a staff of four, thirteen regular contributors, and tens of thousands of Tennessee Valley readers making it the #1 Parenting Resource in North Alabama.