Thank You Veterans!

November 7, 2024

• The Veterans Day Ceremony will be held on November 11 at Veterans Park. The city municipal offices will be closed, and the holiday will not affect garbage and recycling collection.
• The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held on North Court Street near UNA on November 24 at 5:00 pm.
• The Florence Christmas Parade will be downtown on December 12 at 7:00 pm.

Florence Mayor Andy Betterton and Lauderdale County Commission Chairman Danny Pettus announce the annual Veterans Day program. The Ceremony will be held at the Florence - Lauderdale County Veterans Memorial Park at 301 Veterans Park Drive, north of Wilson Dam. (In the event of rain, the Ceremony will be held at the Florence-Lauderdale Coliseum.)

The purpose of the Veterans Day Ceremony is to honor all American Veterans, especially those from Lauderdale County, for their service in defense of our freedom and honor to our nation. The theme for this year's Veterans Day program is "How I Became a Veteran."

Our country owes a debt of gratitude to those who served and to those who are currently serving. Our appreciation should be expressed often, especially on Veterans Day. Numerous ways that veterans may be honored will be discussed at the Ceremony. In fact, attending the Veterans Day Ceremony is an excellent way to honor our veterans.

Veterans in attendance will be recognized collectively and thanked for their service. They are encouraged to showcase their pride in having served in our country's Armed Forces by wearing their service caps, pins, patches, etc. A specifically designed stick-on lapel crest, “I am a Veteran,” will be given to veterans in attendance for ease of identification.

The Veterans Day program may also be viewed by watching it LIVE on the City of Florence Facebook Page or via Big River Broadcasting Radio Stations and Singing River Media Radio.

Please help us in congratulating our newly promoted supervisors. On Tuesday, the newly promoted supervisors were pinned by their family and friends. We look forward to see you all serve our community in your new leadership roles!

Deputy Chief of Police Ira Davis

Captain Jason Fort

Captain Mark Senf

Lieutenant Justin Wright

Lieutenant Justin Hill

Sergeant James Hillhouse

Sergeant Laura DiNardo-Smith

Mayor Andy Betterton, the Florence City Council, and the Florence Downtown Alliance are excited to announce that the Tombigbee Public Parking Deck, located at the corner of Pine and Tombigbee Streets, is open. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Tuesday, November 12, 2024,

at 10 AM on Tombigbee Street. Remarks will be made by Mayor Andy Betterton, Roy Anderson, Downtown Florence Alliance, and others.

WHAT: Tombigbee Public Parking Deck Ribbon Cutting

WHEN: Tuesday, November 12, at 10:00 am

WHERE: 250 North Pine Street, Florence

About the Tombigbee Public Parking Deck

This new six-level facility provides additional downtown parking, with 273 spaces for automobiles and 23 spaces for motorcycles. The deck operates cashlessly, allowing patrons to pay by card at the exit after reinserting their ticket. Rates align with on-street parking, set at $0.50 per hour, with a daily maximum of $4. The Tombigbee Parking Deck is equipped with security cameras, and parking attendants are available on-site Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. A 24-hour assistance button also connects users directly with a representative.

Tennessee Street Parking Deck

Holiday Parking Perk: To support local shopping this season, the parking deck on Tennessee Street will remain free until January 1, 2025, offering extra parking for downtown visitors, shoppers, and business owners. The City of Florence encourages everyone to support our local businesses all year, especially throughout the holiday season.

The beautiful autumn display in our Tree City brings a big cleanup! You can help to ensure that the leaf collection trucks keep running by following the tips below. Brush and bagged leaves placed in leaf piles have already been a problem and often cause serious damage to the vacuums. Repairs bring delays for everyone.

The 2024-25 Leaf Collection Schedule is updated daily. Dates in red show the areas most recently covered by the trucks. Trucks follow this schedule closely and cover the City five to six times during collection season (November to April). Click the link below to access the schedule.

Where: Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts,

217 E. Tuscaloosa St. Florence, AL

When: Nov. 24-Jan. 9 Opening reception 2:00 on Sunday, Nov. 24

Kennedy-Douglas Center Hours: Mon. - Fri. from 9-4 and on Sun. from 1-4

Cost: Free

The Quad Cities Photography Club was created in January 2022. Their mission is to provide an informal, friendly, and supportive environment for local photographers at all levels of experience and with interests in all types of photographic imagery. Members share ideas and knowledge with one another through participation in meetings, guest lectures, and club excursions.

This diverse exhibition offers photographers an opportunity to display their work and

fosters a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, the exhibit gives the public a chance to

view club activities, enjoy and purchase fine art, and possibly consider joining the group as

they pursue their most enjoyable pastime. For more information, join their group on

Facebook, Quad Cities Photography Club (The Shoals).

Where: Pope's Tavern, 203 Hermitage Dr.

When: Nov. 16, 10-11:30 am

Cost: Free

Sign Up: Making Ink with Native Plants at Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/bdda5ue3

Florence Arts and Museums is excited to announce its partnership with the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area to launch the Alabama Plants Series. Hosted by Nadene Mairesse, the first workshop in this series will provide an opportunity for participants to make ink out of native plants.

In this workshop, Florence-based natural dyer Nadene Mairesse will introduce the basic principles of ink making by demonstrating the extraction process. In addition, we will discuss the historic use of native nuts, bark, and roots as a source of pigments for ink and dyes while learning about how different ink making processes developed regionally. Participants will leave with a bottle of black walnut ink and the recipe and instructions to make their own ink at home.

The Alabama Plants Series is a set of six free workshops hosted at Pope’s Tavern Museum and sponsored by the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area. These workshops are meant to draw the connections between Native American cultures, Alabama plants, and the products created by people that are rooted in early traditions.

Pope’s Tavern Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am until 4pm, and is located at 203 Hermitage Drive, Florence, AL 35630. For questions, call: (256) 760-6379 or email: connect@florencealmuseums.com.

Between, roughly, 1900 and 1932, there was a local streetcar system that was a real boon for travelers in Florence, Sheffield and Tuscumbia. Establishment of the system did not happen overnight, of course, because the laying of the tracks was very labor-intensive. The company that operated the system was based in Sheffield, so the large building (called the Streetcar Barn) that housed the cars when not in use was located there. Eventually, tracks were successfully installed in all three cities and across what, today, is known as the Old Railroad Bridge. In Florence, planners strategically routed the tracks through east Florence and around the interior of downtown Florence. (In the accompanying vintage photograph, tracks are clearly visible in the center of Court Street.) Interestingly, the planners determined that the tracks should include the campus of Florence Normal College (now the University of North Alabama) – further evidence of the value that the citizens of Florence have placed on Education since the founding of the first school in 1820 on the Coffee family’s plantation. With the proliferation of privately-owned vehicles and the introduction of buses that weren’t confined to metal tracks in the pavement, the number of riders on streetcars diminished until the system was shut down in 1932. In some cases, the tracks were removed; in others, layers of pavement covered them. But the wear and tear on the pavement would eventually expose tracks around town, especially at intersections – requiring another layer of pavement. Even today, tracks will reveal themselves. A glaring example is clearly visible on Nellie Avenue near its intersection with Wood Avenue.

--Billy Warren, City Historian (brwarren@florenceal.org)

The Mayor and Council members will hold the next council meeting

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

4:00 pm Work Session

5:00 pm Council Meeting

The council meetings are held at 109 South Pine Street, Florence, AL 35630.

Email: abetterton@florenceal.org
Website: florenceal.org
Location: 110 West College Street, Florence, AL, USA
Phone: (256)760-6400

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• Send your information to rmansell@florenceal.org or call Rachel Koonce with questions at 256-760-6494.