As a new blogger with Our Valley Events, I’d like to write a bit to introduce myself.
I could tell you the basic facts. Things like I’m a Communications and Marketing professional in the Madison County area, am a huge geek, or that I’m married to my wife Sharla who also works in Communications and owns her own clothing boutique.
Instead, I have a more fun way of introducing myself. I’d like to tell you about my relationship with Huntsville.
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I’ve had great times over the years at some of Huntsville’s signature locations, and I feel like the stories of the great times I’ve had there may be more telling than anything else.
Date Nights at Bridge Street
Anyone who knows me will not be surprised to learn that one of my favorite memories happened in December of 2015 for the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Sharla and I always try to do something special together for Christmas or New Years, and that year we made the call to have a fancy date night to go along with the first showing of the new Star Wars movie.
We glammed it up, had a nice steak dinner at Connor’s, a drink at the Scene Lounge, and splurged for VIP tickets at the Monaco. My profile picture on Facebook has been the photo of the two of us with Kylo Ren pretty much ever since.
My profile picture on Facebook has been the photo of the two of us with Kylo Ren pretty much ever since.
Parties at Lowe Mill
One of my favorite Lowe Mill A&E events happened just a few short months ago when Vertical House record store hosted an 80’s themed Stranger Things party.
Everyone wore costumes and the whole place was decked out like a scene from the show. Owners Andy and Ashley Vaughn spun great 80’s tracks on vinyl all night and there was even an Eggo bar out front.
The combination of geeky irony and insane fun screamed the spirit of Huntsville and was an event I won’t soon forget.
Concerts in Big Spring Park
One of my fondest memories of Huntsville is a very personal one for me. Throughout the years, I’ve served as the Manager for local Indie Folk band Ashlyn Maine.
Back in the summer of 2015, their years of hard work finally paid off when they played two big shows in Big Spring Park. They opened for the popular Indie Country act the Secret Sisters, and later that summer were one of the co-headliners of the Concerts in the Park series hosted by Arts Huntsville.
Hearing their music played to crowds of thousands was such a big payoff, and being able to do it in such a beautiful and familiar setting of Big Spring Park was an exclamation point for their story.
Hiking on Rainbow Mountain
While Monte Sano is certainly an amazing hiking destination, I personally think the trail on Rainbow Mountain is a hidden gem.
The entrance is right in the heart of Madison, and it’s a gorgeous hiking destination with both a challenging uphill loop and tons of giant boulders to climb around on. Whenever Sharla or our friends are faced with a beautiful day and not much to do, we typically find ourselves here.
With all of that said, it’s great to meet you and I trust that we’ll have a great time getting to know each other through Our Valley Events.
What are some of your favorite spots in Huntsville?
What are some of the great stories you’ve made in those areas?
Guest blogger for We Are Huntsville. Are you interested in writing a post for our site? Email katelyn@wearehuntsville.com.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing! My wife and I are still relatively new to the area, as well. I look forward to establishing our own favorite spots. I also look forward to reading more of your writing.
Thanks Brandon! One thing I might suggest coming out to if you’re new are the CoWorking Nights on Wednesdays at Real Estate Row. You can meet a bunch of cool folks working on great things in the area and learn more about some of the fun things to do around town.
Daniel! Thanks for the fun post. Love that y’all enjoy hiking. Land Trust of North Alabama stewards the Rainbow Mountain trails for the city of Madison. Our spring and fall guided hikes might also help you find additional trails to love. (Our friends at OurValleyEvents.com kindly list them on this site.)
Want help finding a romantic waterfall? Land Trust members can enjoy a Map App which features GPS’d trails on seven Nature Preserves.
You’re music lovers, too? Hope to see you at a summer Concert at Three Caves, the 18th Moon Dance (third Saturday in September), or at the Haunt in October.
Sorry for the ramble – your post just struck so many chords that I wanted to introduce some of the cool things about the Land Trust to YOU.
PS “Degrees of Separation” department… I was also at the fun Stranger Things event at the Mill, but slipped out with AL State Parks Director Greg Lein and his wife to tour them through a bit of the Mill. They were first timers and were impressed.
See you on the trails!
Thanks a bunch Cathie! We love all the Land Trust spots, the one about halfway up Monte Sano is another one of our favorites. I’d love to check out your concert series soon, I hate that we missed Moon Taxi a few years back. That was a really great booking!