Titusville Day - ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, Sports

Titusville Day

Posted: Updated:
By Sherrie Evans - bio | email

  • News HeadlinesNews Headlines

  • Friday, May 17 2013 11:17 PM EDT2013-05-18 03:17:33 GMT
    An inmate is on the loose in Etowah County.  The Sheriff's department says an inmate kitchen worker escaped the Etowah County Detention Center (ECDC) Friday morning.  Justin Wade Hopkins, 30, escaped from
    The Etowah County Sheriff's Office says an inmate kitchen worker escaped the Etowah County Detention Center Friday morning. 

A major reunion Saturday in one of Birmingham's oldest cities. The 28th annual Titusville Day kicked off with a prayer breakfast followed by a day long celebration in Memorial Park.

Organizers of the event say Former Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, lived in the Titusville community, as well as Architect Wallace Rayfield. Birmingham Mayor William Bell and Councilwoman Carole Smitherman also have ties.  Titusville Day is a huge neighborhood gathering, filled with a number of activities. The community has gone through many changes as city leaders are working on its rebirth.

"This is where we started" Titusville, one of the oldest communities in Birmingham is rich in history. Birmingham City Councilwoman, Carole  Smitherman, says  "When the slaves were freed, this is where they came to settle, they bought property here."

The community is celebrated! Every year,  hundreds are involved in Titusville day, even those who have moved away, like Terry Sims, "It's a community that is an environment you always feel you live in."

Titusvillle Day Organizer, Ronald Bayles, says "One thing this particular event does is keep this sense of community before people and that is what we want to do."

Titusville is in the process of a total revitalization, a goal to draw more families back to the well loved community. Smitherman says "We have a lot of abandoned houses, and a lot of challenges with that, but we are working to meet that. The Mayor has a goal. He's planning to unveil it soon to get all the houses where they have to be."

Some new homes have already been built on the other side of a newly renovated park and an elementary school was built two years ago. Organizers say a day like this encourages prosperity for generations to come. Bayles says "We need younger families that continue to come here to live and to make sure that school remains a rising school."

Smitherman says there are a lot of plans in the works for the community. She says a Family Dollar will be moving in soon. The Titusville celebration continues Sunday with a gospel concert at Sixth Avenue Church.