DCH Health System celebrates 100 years with free music festival

Mark Hughes Cobb, The Tuscaloosa News
·3 min read

The DCH Health System will mark 100 years of providing healthcare in West Alabama by holding a free music festival Saturday afternoon at River District Park in downtown Tuscaloosa.

More:Powell Brothers country-rock band to headline DCH 100th-year bash

Here's a timeline of DCH's history and a look at the musical lineup for Saturday's festival:

  • 1916: The Druid City Infirmary, a 12-bed facility, opens on Broad Street, now University Boulevard. Tuscaloosa had doubled its population since its 1819 incorporation.

  • 1922: Expansion funds are raised, with public donations of $50,000 matching a $50,000 bond issue. Excavation begins on a site at University Boulevard and Hackberry Lane, donated by UA President George Denny. The committee chooses the name Druid City Hospital.

  • 1923: Druid City Hospital, a 50-bed medical center, opens. The Tuscaloosa News praised it "... as the greatest achievement from a humanitarian viewpoint accomplished by the present generation." Shortly after, the board raises another $25,000 to expand to 80 beds.

  • 1946: To meet area growth, the private, nonprofit board turns over its assets to city and county governing boards. Government officials lease a portion of Northington General Hospital, the World War II Army installation where University Mall now stands, as temporary hospital home.

  • 1952: The new Druid City Hospital opens, financed by a 1-cent sales tax and federal funds, for a total of more than $3 million. The 240-bed hospital gets spotlighted in Life and Modern Hospital magazines, for its piped-in oxygen at bedsides, four operating rooms, and Alabama's first surgical recovery room. As a regional medical center, it serves a seven-county area of more than 220,000, led by an appointed nine-member board of directors.

  • 1976: Various additions make DCH third-largest in the state, with a new five-story wing, 496 beds, and specialty units including pediatric, orthopedic and open-heart surgery units, intensive care nursery, coronary and intensive care units, and sub-intensive care units.

  • 1984: DCH begins a partnership with Fayette Medical Center, bringing extra resources to Fayette County, including a 122-bed nursing care facility.

  • 1992: Northport Medical Center becomes part of the DCH Health System.

  • March 4, 2023: DCH celebrates its century with a 1-8 p.m. free, family-friendly concert in downtown Tuscaloosa's River District Park, adjacent to the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater downtown. The event will include face-painting, food and drink vendors, and more. Blankets and chairs are encouraged. For more, see www.dchsystem.com/100th.

Sep 27, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; River District Park is open and is illuminated at night with a new lighting system that adds color to the Tuscaloosa river front area.
Sep 27, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; River District Park is open and is illuminated at night with a new lighting system that adds color to the Tuscaloosa river front area.

DCH's 100-Year Anniversary Music Festival

  • 1 p.m.: The John Bull Band, featuring Peggy Walker. The blues, jazz and soul band is fronted by Bull, who teaches harmonica for the Alabama Blues Project and is a member of the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame. johnbullmusic.com.

  • 2 p.m.: The Locals. Tuscaloosa band influenced by the Eagles and Jackson Browne. www.facebook.com/TheLocalsTuscaloosa.

  • 3 p.m.: Cashmere Williams. Jazz guitarist who has performed with "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard. www.cashmerewilliams.com.

  • 3:30 p.m.: Cashback. Birmingham-based Johnny Cash tribute band. www.cashbackofficial.com.

  • 4:30 p.m.: Matt Jones. Singer/songwriter based in Tuscaloosa. www.musicbymattjones.com.

  • 5 p.m.: Adam Hood. Opelika-born Americana singer-songwriter who's toured with Leon Russell, Miranda Lambert, Todd Snider, Ian Moore and Pat Green. Rolling Stone tapped him as a top 10 country artist listeners should know. His latest album is 2022's "Bad Days Better." www.adamhood.com.

  • 6 p.m.: DCH 100th Anniversary Program

  • 6:30 p.m.: The Powell Brothers. Texas-based band built around singer-songwriters Taylor and Blake Powell, who've worked as pro musicians since high school years. In 2014, they teamed as The Powell Brothers, recording and touring relentlessly, playing an average 160 gigs a year, working with artists including the Brothers Osborne, Jon Pardi, Lee Brice, Parker McCollum, The Cadillac Three and more. www.powellbrothersmusic.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: DCH celebrates 100 years with Saturday in River District Park concert