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It's Almost Summer!
Mayor Betterton's Weekly Update
May 20, 2021
How Do Our First Responders Prepare?
TRAINING! After completion of Alabama Fire College and graduation, these newly hired, dedicated firefighters continue their training. Last week, local Fire & Rescue departments staged a rescue in the natural setting of Cane Creek Preserve. Each rookie rappelled from the 100-foot waterfall to retrieve a staged injured victim, worked the ropes, and assisted with extractions.
The video includes Fire Departments across the Shoals. Florence Recruits: Mason Jones, Thaddeus Rowell, Clint Prestage, Bradley McCullar, Brody Martinez, and Chad Bottoms, along with Deputy Chief Anerton and Training Chief Wallace.
HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY, FLORENCE ROTARY!
At the Florence Council meeting, Mayor Betterton had the honor of presenting a proclamation to The Rotary Club of Florence for their momentous 100-year celebration. The Florence Rotary, founded in 1921, is a part of the revered and respected Rotary International organization known for its profound humanitarian service to communities locally and internationally since 1905. The members of Florence Rotary have impacted the community with the motto of “Service Above Self” for 100 years.
2021 Florence-Lauderdale County Memorial Day Ceremony
When: Monday, May 31, 2021 at 11:00 AM
Where: Veterans Memorial Park, 100 Veterans Park Drive, Florence
Join us as we honor all American Fallen Heroes and show gratitude for the price they paid in defending our freedom. The Memorial Day Ceremony will last approximately one hour. It will include several speakers who will honor our Fallen Heroes, our Veterans, and our nation, offering special tributes to the Fallen Heroes of Florence-Lauderdale County.
After the ceremony, the Fallen Heroes Memorial will be open. The memorial recognizes 225 local heroes by name and war on five memorial markers in the Veterans Memorial.
A special booklet with pictures of the memorial markers will be available to attendees, along with a colorful and informative program brochure.
Check Out the New Cypress Creek Kiosk!
Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area Director Dr. Carrie Crawford, Mayor Andy Betterton, Florence Gas & Water Manager Mike Doyle, and Shoals Mountain Bike Club President Eero Wilson facilitated a ribbon cutting to celebrate the new educational information kiosk at the Cypress Creek Cone Launch. The kiosk is a way to engage with a map and essential information that can be accessed through QR codes that enable users to link to more information.
Arts Alive was a Smashing Success!
Florence sends a big thank-you to the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, the Arts Alive Board, and its many volunteers for your hard work that brought a weekend of talented artists to Wilson Park. Attendees enjoyed lovely spring weather while experiencing art in a variety of media. Who could ask for a more delightful way to spend the weekend?
CONGRATULATIONS, FLORENCE PARK & RECREATION!
May is National Foster Care Month
Join hosts DeAnna and Julia of Alabama MENTOR for a free online webinar to learn about becoming a foster parent and Alabama MENTOR's supportive online process. During the event, we'll go over what it takes to qualify, the responsibilities of foster parents, the needs of the children in foster care, and more! Plus, attendees will have the opportunity to ask our expert team questions! If you can't make it but would like to learn more about fostering, please send a direct message to: allison.fleming@thementornetwork.com
THE FAITH COMMUNITY IN FLORENCE
On July 22, 1818, lot number 84 on the town plan, created by John Coffee, Ferdinand Sannoner and Hunter Peel, was purchased by a group of local Presbyterians. Their first church structure (probably of logs) was destroyed by fire, but by 1824 the congregation was moving forward with the building of a substantial meeting house. The walls, facade and roofline of that building survive today, and the interior of the sanctuary, though altered over the years, reflects it as well. And that is why First Presbyterian Church on East Mobile Street in downtown Florence well deserves the reference as the "Mother Church of Florence." Other denominations of Christendom followed apace, as did Temple B'Nai Israel and the Baha'i Fellowship, among others. So, what is the point? Well, the point is that, clearly, along with governmental, economic, educational and social emphases, Florence has also been guided and developed by an emphasis on the spiritual as well. The faith community has truly been -- and is -- integral to the City's balanced development.
--Billy Warren, City Historian
NEXT COUNCIL MEETING
The Mayor and Council members will hold the next council meeting on
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
4:00 p.m. Work Session
5:00 p.m. Council Meeting
City Auditorium
103 South Pine Street
A little laugh...
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Connect with Us!
Email: abetterton@florenceal.org
Website: florenceal.org
Location: 110 West College Street, Florence, AL, USA
Phone: (256)760-6400