Skies were bright and blue as sunlight shined over the lawn of Mountain Brook’s City Hall on April 28 for the inaugural Citizen Appreciation Day.
“I could not have asked for anything better,” said event organizer Heather Richards, in regards to the weather.
Richards, Mountain Brook municipal court magistrate supervisor, said that the event served as an environment for community members to learn more about the services that the city offers.
“The purpose of the event was getting people more involved,” she said. “If I’m a new resident of the community, I may not know some of the services that this city has to offer, and it really has a lot of great things to offer.”
From shaking hands with heads of the police and fire departments to learning more about the city’s free composting it offers, guests were able to engage with local heads of department and staff members in a celebratory setting.
“This far superseded my expectations and everyone seems to be raving about it,” Richards said. “Whenever you plan a new event, you’re always a little hesitant. You wonder if people are going to show up and if they will like what you’ve planned.”
Among the most popular offerings of the day was the Touch-a-Truck activity which allows kids to get up-close-and-personal with police cars, fire trucks and other city vehicles.
In addition, kids were treated to face painting and inflatables and the entire crowd enjoyed live music by the Mason Music rock band, Rug Monkeys, made up of students from Mountain Brook’s junior high and high schools.
—Emily Williams
