September 30, 2021

On Saturday, volunteers from groups across the Shoals participated in Tennessee River Litter Tournament working together to clean up both sides of our beautiful river. The educational and active cleanup was a huge success with 84 volunteers collecting 160 bags of litter from the Tennessee River at Riverfront and McFarland Parks. A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the volunteers, sponsors, and partners!

CASH Prize Raffle and MVP Winners:

MVP Awards: Nikki Dozier (Sheffield Key Club), and Heather Anderson (New Beginnings)

Constellium Recycle Award Winners: Thomas Anderson and Kaylee & Emily Johnson.

The GRAND $500 PRIZE Winner, Betty McCutcheon!

Mark your calendar for the 2nd Annual Paw-loween Event. City of Florence and University of North Alabama Departments along with organizations and businesses will line Court Street with trunks and booths for trick or treaters. If your business or organization would like to set up a booth, please click here to register.

Florence Arts and Museums is proud to host architect and artist Valerie S. Goodwin on October 7th. Valerie was commissioned to create a textile art map for the slavery and cotton exhibit at Pope’s Tavern with a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and support from the Kennedy-Douglass Volunteers.

Valerie will discuss her process of creating the textile art map at the Kennedy Douglass Center for the Arts at 5:30pm on October 7. After the discussion, participants will walk one block to the exhibit building at Pope’s Tavern for the unveiling of the piece and the opening of the slavery and cotton exhibit at 6:30pm. There will be a small reception in the yard at Pope’s Tavern featuring food by Soul Wingery and Records. For more information...

Please join us for First Fridays next week for the Pumpkin Drop at 7 p.m. on Court Street! Thank you, Rick's Produce for providing the pumpkins for this year's festivities!

Most local people probably know about Florence Female Synodical College which existed between 1847 and 1890 on Seminary Street where the Post Office is located today, but less well-known is Florence University for Women which opened in 1891 and was destroyed by fire in 1911. This fine school operated in a magnificent building (pictured) at the westernmost end of Seymore Street in north Florence. Only the water tank shown in the attached picture remains today as testament that it once shared the space with the grand building. (This tank is rightfully listed on the National Register of Historic Places.) The 1909 yearbook, entitled Varsity, from this proud university was dedicated to the citizens of Florence with these glowing words: “Fair, kind and beautiful Florence, whose hospitality has made it so pleasant for stranger and visiting girls, whose sincere cordiality has welcomed us to your midst, whose lavish generosity has extended to us many courtesies, whose liberality has made the publication of this small volume possible, we, the students and faculty of Florence University for Women, sincerely and gratefully beg to dedicate this small volume to you.” It comes as no surprise that local citizens were so welcoming to the young women and the staff members at the university.

--Billy Warren, City Historian

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