What do jazz, sidewalks and Greek food have in common?

I have been searching for a piece that I wrote a few years ago regarding Birmingham's cultural scene. My husband and I were attending the first annual 4th Avenue Jazz Festival. It was outstanding. Jazz Hall of Famers and jazz enthusiasts returned to perform on 4th Avenue North. It was a reunion.

Every once in awhile, people who may have never walked along 4th avenue north would pass through the crowd looking for the Carver Theater. They were en route to catch an independent film as part of the Sidewalk Film Festival. When the film was over, many of them stopped and hung out at the festival.

That night, we left 4th Avenue North to catch the annual festival at the Greek Orthodox Church on the Southside. We danced and ate all the leftovers. After we shut down the festival a group of friends left for an event at Workplay.

To some of you, this doesn't mean anything. To me, it was the beginning of a cultural explosion in the City Center, stretching from north to south. Birminghamians were functioning in cultural enclaves, but organizers created a situation where people were forced to intersect. Some jazz enthusiasts were introduced to the Film Festival. Film fans, stopped and hung out at the Jazz Festival. I can't wait to see what is in store for the fall.

What events are you looking forward to this fall?