Alabama Outdoors celebrated their 50-year anniversary with a special edition of their monthly Party on the Porch event Sept. 5. The outdoor apparel store invited the community to enjoy a night of discounts, live music and food, with proceeds going to the Homewood City Schools Foundation (HCSF).
Party on the Porch, typically held the first Friday of each month, offers a wide array of booths from local organizations, such as Birmingham Boulders, Redemptive Cycles and Friends of Shades Creek. Some promoted their companies while others encouraged signing up for volunteering activities.
Attendees had the option to purchase wristbands as a donation to the HCSF. The foundation provides financial support for athletes, students, teachers and staff across Homewood City Schools through grants funded partly with community donations.
Alabama Outdoors menswear buyer Zach Warren researches trends in men’s clothing to inform purchasing decisions for the store. His work operating the ticket stand at these events gives him an opportunity to interact with members of the community and vendors face-to-face.
“The [organizations and performers] sign up for free,” Warren said. “They just want to promote themselves, so they can spread who they are, their music and they can also give back to the community.”
Black Warrior Riverkeeper was one of many nonprofits supporting the fundraiser. Riverkeepers advocate for and support river ecosystems in order to protect waterways in the Birmingham metro area.
Mary Alley Murray is the volunteer coordinator of Black Warrior Riverkeeper with a passion for preservation and environmental science.
“We are a nonprofit organization and our mission is to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and all its tributaries,” Murray said. “It covers parts of 17 counties and is a major source of drinking water.”
The organization takes an active role beyond litter cleanups to end pollution, citing legal recourse as a means to protect the river.
“We also do litigation, we actually sue polluters,” Murray said. “We will go out on the boat and patrol or take water samples, and that’s kind of our approach to protect the environment.”
Warren believes the impact of community organizing underscores the importance of Party on the Porch. To account for the cold winter months, the last event in 2025 is scheduled for Oct. 3.
“I think it’s good that everybody can give back to the community,” Warren said. “I think there are a lot of good causes out there, and if you can get back to individuals that need it then it’s really special.”
