By Sarah Kuper
The Rocky Ridge shopping area will come alive this summer as local merchants, artists and performers showcase all the area has to offer during the First Fridays series.
Beginning June 3 at 5 p.m., visitors can walk or drive to Rocky Ridge, off of Morgan Drive and Rocky Ridge Road, and see through new eyes a vibrant and eclectic community.
The area was designated as an entertainment district recently, and now visitors can roam the district with alcoholic beverages during certain hours of the week.
But First Fridays organizers don’t want the fact that visitors can carry glasses of wine across the street to be the only draw for Friday summer nights.
“We want the entertainment district to be a positive thing – not an evolving blasting rock concert. Our goal is quality and family friendly,” said Rob Morgan, one of the organizers of the series.
So far, Rocky Ridge First Fridays include acoustic music stages, local merchant tents, aerial acrobatics, a kid-zone and outdoor movie showings.
Morgan works with his father, Robin Morgan, at Morgan Properties. The Morgan family has seen to the residential and commercial development of the Rocky Ridge area for more than 50 years.
Now a part of the Rocky Ridge Arts and Entertainment Association, Rob Morgan is working alongside other area business leaders such as Paula Reynolds of Artist Incorporated to take advantage of Rocky Ridge’s new designation.
Morgan said the area has come a long way since his grandfather, Robin Morgan Sr., purchased it as a dairy farm in the 1960s.
Since then, the family has built up and periodically renovated apartments, shopping centers and restaurants. But the red barn from the farm still stands and is now the art gallery Artist Incorporated.
Eager to continue the area’s growth beyond real estate development, Morgan is hoping First Fridays will draw people from other neighborhoods and re-engage local residents.
“We are trying to shed light on what Rocky Ridge is. I don’t think everybody knows about the great things we have here,” Morgan said.
Part of the association’s planning efforts have gone to ensuring it doesn’t bring in any outside vendors that may compete with something Rocky Ridge already offers.
“We want to showcase local merchants. We want to show people that they don’t have to leave here to find something special,” Morgan said.
In preparation for First Fridays and other events that may spring up as a result of the entertainment district designation, a new deck has been added to Moe’s Original BBQ and organizers are securing logistical details such as electrical hook ups.
Morgan said he anticipates the series will come to be a big draw for the area, and he is thankful for support from the city of Vestavia Hills.
“City Manager Jeff Downes has been at most of the organizational meetings and we have a police officer helping us with those logistics,” Morgan said.
Reynolds said she is also grateful for the support of the Chamber of Commerce, which has helped with print materials and general needs.
But she said she does have a wish list for the city that could enhance the success of the event: “sidewalks to connect more areas, and eventually a parking deck.”
Both Morgan and Reynolds said they aren’t quite sure what to expect June 3 in terms of turnout and, of course, weather.
“This is a learning process. No doubt there will be things that come up. All we can do is hope it doesn’t rain and that a good gathering of people show up,” Morgan said.
Between the aerial acrobats and offerings of local merchants and artists, Morgan said he does expect visitors will see things they don’t usually see and certainly have not seen in this area before.
Reynolds added that the Greater Birmingham Area Humane Society will be set up with puppies available for adoption.
Organizers have been spreading the word about the event through social media and local news outlets. Vendors are still invited to submit applications.
Organizers plan to continue First Fridays into the fall with some scheduling exceptions made around football season.
For more information, visit the Rocky Ridge First Fridays Facebook page.