Please join us in congratulating newly promoted Capt Wes Gargis, Lt Jason Fort, Sgt Andrew Graves, and Sgt Justin Hill. We appreciate each of you for your dedicated service.

Captain Wes Gargis

Florence, AL…It's almost Easter, and Chloe's Fund Volunteers are working very hard to keep the fund up and running so that animals in need can be helped (often in emergencies). Our volunteers spend hours baking and making homemade crafts to support Chloe's Fund. These homemade treats are available from 10 am-2 pm on Saturday, April 3, at the Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services (FLAS) Building, located at 3240 Roberson Road in Florence. To pre-order, you can check out the menu on the FLAS web page. All proceeds from these sales benefit Chloe's Fund. With your continued help, Chloe's Fund can save the lives of hundreds of animals!

The Florence Indian Mound Museum, in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority, is sponsoring a virtual speaker series as a part of an effort to raise awareness about looting in the Shoals area. The Shoals Archaeological Stewardship Virtual Speaker Series will feature a different presentation each month from March through October. The first presentation will be Dr. Lisa Davis, who will present her work on paleoflood records in the Tennessee River valley. The presentation can be viewed at the following link on Friday, March 26th at 12 pm.

Opening Soon!

The Roundabout Grille at Sweetwater

1420 Huntsville Rd.

Find the Roundabout Grille On Facebook.

What do a shanty and a cellar have in common? Well, in the 1950's and early 1960's, both were restaurants in downtown Florence. Sammie Barksdale was a well-known restaurateur at the time, owning both the Shanty and Sammie's Cellar. The Shanty, which was located on the corner of College and Court Streets (now a parking lot), was aptly named because it did, indeed, look like a shanty in which people of very limited income might live. Sammie's Cellar, on the other hand, was located in the basement of the building at 116 East Mobile Street (now Mobile Plaza). Diners entered by a flight of steps in the alley on the west side of the building. Unlike the Shanty, the decor of Sammie's Cellar was rather elegant, with a pleasant color scheme and subdued lighting. Anderson's Newsstand was located on the ground floor of the same building. So, how did the menus at the two restaurants compare? They were equally varied and equally delicious. Note the attached advertisement from a local newspaper in 1959. The menus are identical, and the price of a meal was quite manageable. Right?

--Billy Warren, City Historian

The Mayor and Council members will hold the next council meeting on

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

4:00 p.m. Work Session

5:00 p.m. Council Meeting

City Auditorium

103 South Pine Street