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By NATHAN HOWELL | Staff Writer

PELHAM – On Saturday, May 8, the Pelham Civic Complex will host Birmingham Christian Family’s second annual Celebrate the Family Expo, a faith-based event meant to highlight the importance of family.

The free event is set to provide an array of activities, exhibits, resources, live music and other things that the entire family can enjoy.

According to Birmingham Christian owner Laurie Stroud, the inaugural event last year was designed to celebrate the group’s 20th year in publishing good news, and they wanted to make it a yearly event due to its success.

“We established it as a way to celebrate the fact that we have been able to spread good news in our community for 20 years, and we wanted to thank our readers,” Stroud explained. “As a publication we want to share resources for spiritual emotional and physical needs. It is focused on providing resources to family as it relates to those needs.”

The event will be filled with a lot of fun activities including a wide range of things for kids to do. Stroud said that there would be inflatables that children could jump on to their heart’s delight.

For adults there will be a lot of resources and vendors at the event. There will be giveaways and swag bags that they will have for the first 250 people that come. That will include free T-shirts and tote bags and different novelty items from participating sponsors.

Live music will also be provided by Kevin Derryberry, a Christian music artist, who will entertain guests throughout the day.

The inaugural event in 2020 had the benefit of happening prior to the COVID-19 pandemic taking hold in the country. This year, the event will happen after most major restrictions on gatherings have been lifted, but for those still concerned, Stroud expressed this venue was perfect for ensuring everyone’s safety.

“The Pelham Civic Complex is a great a venue for us not only are we able to have indoor displays and we can utilize the outdoor space for activities as well,” Stroud said.

Last year, they had the Chick-fil-A Cows come out to meet with guests and take pictures. Stroud said they would like to have them again, but won’t know until later if they will be able to book them.

More information about the event can be found at Birminghamchristian.com