MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Wednesday’s city-hosted ‘Celebration of Life’ drew in hundreds, hoping to say their final goodbyes to the Mobile Civic Center before crews begin an extensive demolition project.
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“This is definitely showing signs of age,” Mobile mayor Sandy Stimpson said.
The event started with a handful of speakers who reflected on their memories from the Civic Center.
Immediately following the speakers, Mobile City Council members carried a paper mache replica of the civic center to the back of a hearse owned by City Council President C.J. Small. Small brought the hearse from the mortician business that he owns.
The ambient noise of the room was filled with the cries of Joe Caine’s Merry Widows.
When the back door of the hearse closed, the car horn honked, and the Excelsior Band started marching a lap around the Civic Center. Behind the band came an army of people there to celebrate the start of a new chapter in Mobile.