Rotary Trail Opens in Downtown “Magic City”
Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday evening to celebrate the opening ceremonies of Rotary Trail along 1st Avenue South in downtown Birmingham. While sipping free champagne and eating popsicles, residents took pictures in front of the new “Magic City” sign – a throwback to an old sign that welcomed visitors to Birmingham more than 60 years ago.
Rotary Trail is currently only two blocks along 1st Avenue South, but it will eventually run half a mile from 20th to 24th streets. The trial is a link in a greenway that will stretch from the Birmingham CrossPlex in Five Points West to Sloss Furnaces.
“I live a block from the trail,” says Jonathan Meadows, an architect who works and lives downtown. “This is going to now be my commute from home to work.”
Danielle Williamson and Tiffany Whitmore slowly walk their bikes down the path Wednesday evening.
“I feel like Birmingham is experiencing a renaissance, and we are right in the middle of it,” says Williamson.
Whitmore agrees. She thinks this trail is a mark of some real change in the city.
Ashley Cleek,WBHM
Residents walk along Rotary Trail.
“This is like all of the hard work that people have been doing,” Whitmore explains. “This is action and product and moving forward.”
The trail is built on top of an old rail line that laid vacant for decades. Now, there’s a path with benches, picnic tables, and solar-powered charging stations for cell phones.
The Birmingham Rotary Club helped finance the trail as gift to the city and a celebration of the club’s centennial.
Stacey Lawler Taylor walks down the trail with her father, Stanley Lawler. Both are members of the Rotary Club and lifelong residents of Birmingham.
Ashley Cleek,WBHM
The second part of the trail, between 22nd and 24th streets, will soon open to foot traffic.
“It’s connecting so many different parts of Birmingham that we have tried to do for years. This is a good starting point,” Taylor says. She says she’s anxious and excited to see how the city continues to grow.
Her father says this trial makes him really proud of the Rotary and his city.
“I think it is going to bring a lot of people together,” says Lawler. “We have overcome not so many great years, but that’s in the past. This is the present and future of what Birmingham really is and can be, and I am just so proud to be here.”
Derek Young stands under one of the overpasses. He works for Sanguard Security and is a supervisor of the trail. Young’s new to Birmingham, originally from Houston, but he can see how special this is for the city.
“I think its going to bring back what the Magic City sign had here in the first place,” Young says, looking west toward the sign. “Bringing back the magic.”
Ashley Cleek,WBHM
The new ‘Magic City’ sign marks the entrance to the Rotary Trail.
Bipartisan push to ban lawmakers from trading stocks gets boost from Trump
Proposals to bar members of Congress from trading stocks have stalled for years. But President Trump's public support of the idea, along with the endorsement of a top Democrat could change the dynamic.
Inside the glitz and glamor of the Kentucky Derby
Hats, horses and high rollers. These are just some of the things that add to the atmosphere of Churchill Downs on Derby Day.
Gorillas have a big fight ahead of them, and it’s not against 100 men, expert says
This week, the internet was up in arms over who would win in battle: 100 men or a single silverback gorilla? One expert says the real fight is much bigger.
Over three years after on-set tragedy, ‘Rust’ is in theaters and available to rent
A fatal on-set shooting killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. Hutchins' husband became a producer as part of a settlement.
Which celebrity was allegedly robbed by the elderly? Find out in the quiz
This week, we're light on popes and presidents — but if you've been keeping up with the Kardashians, you'll get at least one question right.
Asian American voters backed Trump in Nevada. Here’s how they feel about him now
After backing Joe Biden in 2020, Asian American voters in Nevada swung decisively toward Donald Trump in 2024. Now, they reflect on how his presidency is going so far.
