By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – The second annual Love Montevallo Day will feature a lineup of family oriented activities similar to those of the inaugural event in 2018, plus a grand opening celebration at the new Shoal Creek Park.

The event is set for Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the 167-acre park, located at 2781 Alabama 119.

Ribbon cutting ceremonies will be held at the park’s new pavilion at 10:10 a.m. and the bridge at 10:20 a.m.

“Love Montevallo Day is a time for us to celebrate our collective accomplishments,” Mayor Hollie Cost wrote in a press release. “This year is especially significant because we are officially opening Shoal Creek Park, which was a loving and generous gift from Elizabeth Mahler.”

The University of Montevallo Environmental Club will provide children’s activities. Other offerings will include geocaching (tours at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.); guided historical tours at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; a botanical tour at 11 a.m.; interactive wildlife exhibits by the Alabama Wildlife Center and Cahaba Environmental Center; live music by JQ’s One Man Swing Band; food trucks; and the Montevallo Junior City Council’s 5K Color Fun Run at noon.

Organized by the MJCC and UM students in Professor DeAnna Smith’s Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability class, the run’s proceeds benefit the MJCC and The Arc of Shelby County.

The first 50 registrations include a free Love Montevallo Day T-shirt.

Participants may bring pets as long as they are on leashes.

Registration is $10 for high school and younger students, $15 for college students and $25 for adults. Go to Montevallo.edu/love-montevallo-run, and participants must register online prior to the event.

Admission to Love Montevallo Day, a rain-or-shine event, is free.

Those who attend may bring chairs or blankets.