Kick off the school year with Back 2 School in the Hills

The Back 2 School in the Hills event is coming back for its second year on Friday, Aug. 14. The free festival will be located at Oliver Square, 3246 Cahaba Heights Road.

Lisa Christopher, the event coordinator, said Back 2 School will feature rides, inflatables and games for children and adults, as well as a mechanical bull and local business vendors providing food and giveaways. A DJ will provide music for the event and a family-friendly movie will be played at dusk.

“It’s just celebrating heading back to school. School is just such a huge importance in our city,” Christopher said.

Last year’s event drew between 800 and 900 people, and Christopher said the community excitement prompted the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce to bring Back 2 School back this year. While it is focused on the community of Cahaba Heights, Christopher said everyone is welcome to attend and bring lawn chairs or a picnic.

After seeing a parking shortage last year, the chamber is working with the city’s parks and recreation department to provide a shuttle to and from certain parking lots. Christopher said the details of the shuttle program are still being worked out.

After planning and attending the inaugural Back 2 School event, Christopher is excited about returning. Last year she joined other Chamber employees on the popular “Wipeout” inflatable. Though she admitted she was “terrible” at avoiding the obstacles on the blow-up game, Christopher loved the experience.

“I don’t recall laughing that hard in a long, long time. It was just a lot of fun,” Christopher said.

For more information about Back 2 School in the Hills, contact Christopher at lisac@vestaviahills.org.