Crestline Rocks set for Saturday

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Come Sept. 27, Crestline Village will rock again.

Preschool Partners is bringing back its local music festival, Crestline Rocks, in a slightly amended form. Ticket prices have dropped, more local bands will be on the lineup, and the venue is moving from Church Street to the grassy lawn in front of the Emmet O’Neal Library.

“We are hopeful that offering an opportunity to all ages to play and lowering the ticket price will bring out a good crowd,” said PreSchool Partners Director of Development Allene Neighbors. 

The lineup of local bands, listed below, was determined by an online vote this month, with the Hams and Rollin’ in the Hay as headliners.

  • Sarah & Will Mason
  • Kathryn Taylor Wyatt
  • Mary Kathryn & the 10 Sweaty Strings
  • Apollo
  • Smoke Screen
  • Driftwood
  • 7th Avenue
  • Hugh Rowe Thomas
  • Kate & the Howlers

“Our goal is to bring in musical talent from various communities to show off the talent Birmingham has,” Neighbors said. “We have gotten a great response and have talked with several bands.”

The festivities kick off Thursday, Sept. 25 with movie characters and other familiar faces walking around Crestline Village for a Character Crawl. Families can eat at local restaurants and mingle with characters from 5-7 p.m.

Kids can also take part in the second annual Touch-a-Truck event on Saturday from 3-5 p.m. Fire trucks, Bobcat equipment, cranes and more will be on display for them to play on.

“That was a huge hit [last year],” Neighbors said. “It was neat seeing all the city service trucks come together, and the kids went crazy because the firemen let them have free rein on the fire truck.”

Once the music kicks off at noon, attendees are welcome to bring their own coolers, blankets and chairs to the grassy lawn in front of the Emmet O’Neal Library, and organizers are encouraging them to eat, shop and drink local.

Money raised from the event will support PreSchool Partners, which was founded more than 19 years ago to provide quality preschool education for at-risk children in the Birmingham area. The program serves to support and educate both the students and their parents through its highly structured learning environment. 

Students in the program receive more than 800 hours of instruction and enrichment annually, and their parents attend more than 100 hours of classes on topics such as child development, money management and family literacy. 

Iberiabank is the title sponsor for the event, and Otey’s and Taco Mama are presenting sponsors.

To learn more about PreSchool Partners, visit preschool-partners.org or call 951-5151.

Thursday, Sept. 25

Character Crawl

  • Crestline Village
  • 5-7 p.m.
  • Free

Saturday, Sept. 27

Touch-A-Truck

  • 3-5 p.m.
  • Library Parking Lot
  • $5 donation

Live Music