Newsletter
Mayor Andy Betterton
March 9, 2023
PUBLIC NOTICE: Annual Fire Hydrant Testing
The Florence Fire Department will begin the annual flow testing on April 3 fire hydrants which will be completed by April 30. All hydrants in Florence will be tested, and during this time, you may experience discolored water. The water is harmless and will clear after you flush your lines.
However, when the water is discolored due to potential staining, do not wash clothing. If your clothes are in a wash cycle, do not dry them. Allow clothes washed in stained water to remain wet until the water is clear. When your water runs clear, rewash your clothes.
We apologize for any inconvenience, and if you experience any problems, please call our Florence Gas & Water 24/7 dispatch number at 256-760-6490 for assistance or concerns. You can also contact Florence Fire & Rescue at 256-760-6475.
Public Notice: District 1 Community Meeting
WHAT: Council Member Kaytrina P. Simmons Community Meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, March 14, 5:30-7:00 pm
WHERE: Handy Recreation Center, 1105 Beale Street
Youth In Government 2023
Thank you, Florence Exchange Club, for hosting the 2023 Youth In Government Day! Florence High School, Shoals Christian, & Mars Hill Bible School students had the opportunity to be a part of their local municipal government today!
Congratulations to Jenisa Berrios at Florence Middle School
Mayor Betterton Loved Visiting with the Hibbett Student Council. They Are Our Future Leaders! đź‘Ť
Happening Tonight
SHE HAD HAIR LIKE HIS SISTER’S
The basic horror of the American Civil War (1861-1865) was that Americans were fighting – and often maiming and killing – each other. When troops from the opposing side were in an unfriendly town, unusual things would often happen. For instance, Sally Foster, a teenager in the family who built and lived in the mansion known as Courtview on upper North Court Street, recorded in her diary that Union troops came into the yard at her house but never inside the house. She also recorded the arrest by Union troops of Reverend W.H. Mitchell, minister at First Presbyterian Church. She was very sad because he was also the President of the Florence Female Synodical College where she was a student. Pulitzer Prize winner T.S. Stribling (author of the trilogy set in Florence) later wrote a fictional account of a young Southern girl who fell in love with a young Union soldier – and he with her. The soldier’s initial attraction to her was, as the title of the story suggests, that she had hair like his sister’s. The poignancy of the story is almost unbearable for the reader. In 1987, students studying theatre and film at the University of North Alabama transformed the story into a 30-minute video and entered it in a national collegiate film contest. It won a student Emmy and brought national recognition to UNA – proof that the terrible four years of the Civil War continue to resonate with the American psyche.
--Billy Warren, City Historian
YOUNG LEARNER’S SERIES: Deb Haaland
The Florence Indian Mound Museum is hosting a series of children’s programs where students can explore the early history of the Shoals through short lessons and hands-on learning exercises. The programs will explore 12 Native American figures through biographies, contributions, hopes, and accomplishments. Students will be given a passport with the 12 figures; they will receive a stamp for each program attended. Students who collect 6, 9, or 12 stamps will receive an award.
Join us on Saturday, March 18th at 10 for a program and activity about Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
Music Camp Registration Is Open
Muscle Shoals Music Camp, a day camp for high schoolers hosted primarily at the University of North Alabama's School of the Arts and the Department of Entertainment Industry facilities, will be Monday-Friday, June 12-16.
Applications are available at muscleshoalsmusiccamp.com. The deadline to submit applications is Saturday, April 1. Successful applications submitted by Wednesday, March 1, will receive an early-bird discount on the $250 cost, which includes meals, transportation, and admission fees to sites the campers will visit.
Campers will explore the music business, from creating compositions to negotiating contracts. They'll study the history of Muscle Shoals music and tour FAME Recording Studios, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Instructors include UNA educators Sam Merciers, Megan Merciers, Bob Garfrerick, Charles Brooks, and Alex Wittscheck, plus songwriters Stephanie Brown and Mark Narmore. Students will also discuss writing, recording, and performing with local musicians such as GMANE, Thaddeus Rowell, and Lisa Silver.
Additionally, upon arrival at camp, students will be formed into bands. Over the course of the week, each group of campers will work together to write and record a song.
"Our first camp was last year, and it was a great success," said Carrie Crawford, director of the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, which is helping sponsor the camp. "The students had fun and learned so much. They worked together to create and produce some amazing music that they then performed in a live concert. Everybody loved it!"
For details, visit muscleshoalsmusiccamp.com, email csota@una.edu, or call 256.765.4559.
Street Department 201 Railroad Avenue Florence
Full Time - $31,430.18 Annually
Laborer Recycling Part Time New
Recycle 1200 Terrace Street Florence
Part Time - $13.00 Hourly
Planning Department Ste 115 Municipal Building Florence
Full Time - $41,272.36 Annually
Truck Driver New
Solid Waste 29485 County Road 14 Florence
Full Time - $34,403.65 Annually
NEXT COUNCIL MEETING
The Mayor and Council members will hold the next council meeting on
March 21, 2023
4:00 pm Work Session
5:00 pm Council Meeting
A little funny..
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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