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It’s that time again, the time for the Magic City Classic.
It is when people from across the country descend on Birmingham. For a game, yes, but so much more.
“We don’t take it for granted at all,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, adding that the Classic is a treasure that has been entrusted to him and others to protect. “Things that are historic in nature, and 85 years of legacy and tradition (is historic). We have a sense of urgency to bear-hug the Magic City Classic and make sure it continues to be a success.”
This is the final year for the current contract between the city, Alabama State University and Alabama A&M. It does allow for two additional three year extensions through mutual written agreement.
The Classic prompts at least a week of events in nearly every corner of the city, from parties to panel discussions to concerts of every sort. Birmingham Business Alliance’s Magic City HBCU Breakfast was one of those events. It drew mayors from other cities in Jefferson County.
And each knows the importance of this once-a-year, weeklong festival.
“We also realize that everything that’s going on in the city of Birmingham affects the entire region,” said Irondale Mayor James Stewart, a product of Tennessee State University, an HBCU. “So goes Birmingham, so goes the rest of the region. We want to make sure that any way that we can support them to help them to be successful, that success also spills over into the city of Irondale.”
Tarrant Mayor Tracie Threadford said the Classic is especially important for her city because it’s in a period of rebuilding.
“Anyone that I can help as far as an internship,” she said, citing some of the themes of Thursday’s breakfast. “Somebody’s going to have to replace me one day.”
Pleasant Grove Mayor Yolanda Lawson said her city has a strong constituency of HBCU graduates.
“It’s an opportunity for us to even celebrate within our city, although we’re not in Birmingham,” she said.
Clay Mayor Jane Anderton echoed that sentiment. “We have a strong HBCU group of people present in our neighborhoods and our communities whose kids are now in our schools,” she said. “We need to be able to support that.”
Homewood Mayor Jennifer Andress summed things up, saying that, “We are in Jefferson County.
“We are here for the success of Jefferson County,” Andress said. “Everything that happens, all the things they talked about – jobs and opportunities and economic development and retaining young people – it all flows. We are all here for it.
“A rising tide lifts all boats,” the Homewood mayor concluded. “We are here for all the boats to be lifted.”
The main event is Saturday’s parade in downtown Birmingham at 8 a.m., with kickoff of the annual football game between Alabama A&M and Alabama State scheduled for 2:30 p.m. A calendar of the week’s events is available via the Magic City Classic Guide, produced by The Birmingham Times.
Additionally, the City of Birmingham opened a memorial exhibit dedicated to the Classic that will be on display on the second floor of City Hall through the end of the year. A Classic Tradition: The History, Culture & Legacy of the Magic City Classic features archival photographs and historical imagery from the 1950s to today to reflect moments from football and marching band performances to tailgating, the fifth quarter and other classic traditions.
