The second annual Dauphin Street Vault took over Lower Dauphin Street, or LoDa, on Saturday, July 21, 2012, transforming the heart of Mobile’s entertainment district into a pole-vault runway. Amateur and professional vaulters competed right in the middle of the closed-off street, with some of the country’s best athletes clearing heights up to 19 feet.
Laying the runway in a downtown block created an atmosphere that is hard to match for either the athletes or the spectators. General competition opened at 10 a.m., the Emerging Elite division followed at 5 p.m. and the Elite field took the bar at 8 p.m. Admission was free.
The vault doubled as a warm-up for the DeLuna Fest Battle of the Bands later that night at the Alabama Music Box, giving locals a full evening of downtown entertainment.