Trussville Dog Daze coming to town Aug. 9
TRUSSVILLE, Ala. (TRIBUNE) – The Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce announced this week that the Dog Daze Festival will make its return on Saturday, Aug. 9.
The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Historic East Mall in front of Cahaba Elementary School.
This year marks the return of the event to its traditional time in the 'dog days' of summer and promises to be a fun-filled day for all ages, featuring games, vendor booths, food trucks, and much more.
Those interested in becoming a vendor can sign up here.
Food vendors can contact Melissa Walker at melissa.walker@trussvillechamber.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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The term 'tortured genius' has been too liberally applied to a number of great and not-so-great artists over the years, but Brian Wilson is one of the few who truly qualified for both designations. The announcement of his death Wednesday at the age of 82 silences one of the most transcendent musical voices of his generation — a deeply troubled man-child whose best music exuded joy and beauty with a unique combination of sophistication and wide-eyed youthful wonder. 'I never knew what 'genius' meant. I think it means 'clever.' I don't know,' Wilson said in 2016 during my sixth and most recent San Diego Union-Tribune interview with him. Both as the mastermind of the Beach Boys and in his best work as a solo artist, Wilson demonstrated a singular degree of melodic ingenuity, emotional depth and meticulous craftsmanship. He was able to create gorgeous sonic soundscapes despite — and, perhaps, in response to — the physical and mental travails he underwent for much of his life. Wilson's father, Murry, battered Brian psychologically and physically, including hitting his then-teenaged son in the head so hard with a two-by-four piece of wood that the younger Wilson lost his hearing in one ear. Later in his life, he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and manic depression. Years of drug abuse also left their mark on Wilson. So did the weighty expectations placed on him as a result of the Beach Boys' multimillion-selling records and the lavish critical praise he received. 'Yeah, the success I achieved was expensive for a couple of reasons,' Wilson said in a 1991 Union-Tribune interview. 'One, it made it difficult for me to live up to what I had achieved. … It's like when you plant seeds earlier in your life: 'I'm going to be successful in the recording industry; I'm gonna be a good singer,' and you achieve that. 'Then what happens? You're going, 'Hey, what's wrong here?' 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Destined for everything from billboards and social media to TV, the campaign is being introduced with a 60-second spot featuring fast-moving vignettes of the city, from obligatory overhead shots of the 'L' to street festivals, sporting events and skyscrapers. The video is narrated by award-winning Chicago poet J. Ivy, who touts the people and places in the 'greatest city in the world.' The campaign, which is slated to run locally, nationally and internationally, incorporates the red stars and colors of the Chicago flag, and features scenes of people making doughnuts, running by the lakefront and partying en masse at a live concert. The ads include slogans such as 'outwork,' 'outplay' and 'outlast,' sounding very much like the tagline from the 'Survivor' TV show. Reynolds, who took the helm at Choose Chicago in May after previously serving in the same role at Discover Long Island, didn't take credit for the campaign, but added a few last-minute tweaks and gave her stamp of approval to 'Never Done. Never Outdone.' 'The first part really is about evolution and always staying and innovating and keeping current,' Reynolds said. 'And then never outdone is really dropping that Midwestern humble and bringing some of that New York City swagger in here, and being able to say, we're the best at what we do, and we're going to work harder and we won't settle.' Choose Chicago has an annual marketing budget of about $4 million — far less than comparable cities such as Boston. But Reynolds said the campaign will find its way out into the world through paid and earned media, and partnered with other Chicago institutions. Target domestic markets will include Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City, while international focus will be on Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Choose Chicago created the new marketing campaign in collaboration with local agencies including Envisionit, Agents of Slang, October Productions, Word and Soul, and Chu Batsaihan. The branding was developed with MMGY Global, which works with many destination marketing organizations. Successfully branding a city can significantly boost visibility and tourism, searing memorable taglines into the collective unconscious of potential visitors. A good example is 'What happens here, stays here,' the ubiquitous Las Vegas slogan which has captured the essence of the city's appeal in countless commercials since its introduction in 2003. The slogan was updated in 2020 to 'What happens here, only happens here.' Chicago, which has accumulated a number of slogans over the years from sources both literary and cultural, has evolved from 'hog butcher for the world' to a diverse world city, a major convention and tourism destination, and an international business center. But recent attempts at rebranding have not quite stuck. In 2015, Choose Chicago introduced 'Chicago Epic,' a bold national TV campaign recasting the city as a hotbed of music festivals, hipsters, fine dining and shopping. At the time, officials said the slogan 'Chicago Epic' would become as famous as 'I Love New York.' It didn't. In 2022, a pandemic-battered city launched 'Chicago Not in Chicago,' a low-budget guerrilla marketing campaign touting a long list of homegrown innovations — from the cellphone and the coffee maker to the skyscraper — that changed the world, but with little credit given to Chicago. Despite the campaign, for the most part, the world has yet to thank us. Officials nonetheless have high hopes for the new slogan and marketing campaign. 'I am proud of the work our colleagues at Choose Chicago have done in developing this new campaign,' Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release Thursday. 'I'm confident it will ultimately share an authentic depiction of our city and convey the open-minded, welcoming spirit of Chicagoans.' Chicago seeing fewer international travelers, but local hotels still expect 'solid' summer Tourism in Chicago is on the rise, with the city welcoming 55.3 million visitors in 2024, up 6.5% year-over-year and setting a post-pandemic high, according to data released last month by Choose Chicago. But economic and political headwinds may make it hard to match that total this year, with tariffs, civil unrest and international backlash to President Donald Trump's policies and bluster potentially tamping down tourism. Choose Chicago is nonetheless projecting a strong summer tourism season, with events such as upcoming Premier League soccer exhibitions and the NASCAR Chicago Street Race setting the pace in July. While the budget is limited, Choose Chicago will remain nimble in targeting markets — domestic and international — for the best chance to get a return on investment, Reynolds said. A newer market she has her sites set on is Phoenix, hoping to lure Chicago expatriates and transplanted Californians to visit from the 'Valley of the Sun.' As to the new campaign, Reynolds expects the 'Never Done. Never Outdone' slogan to become ubiquitous, including buy-in from Chicagoans, who provide the bulk of recreational activity during the winter months. Chicago saw a boost in tourism last year. Will the pope be a blessing in 2025? 'This is a campaign that we're hoping the entire community embraces and you're going to see it so much that it's going to be second nature,' Reynolds said. If the new marketing campaign doesn't resonate, the city's image may still get a boost from divine intervention — the selection of south suburban Dolton native Robert Francis Prevost as the first American pope. On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV was photographed sporting a White Sox cap at the Vatican, spreading the gospel of Chicago around the world. rchannick@
