November 4, 2021

Thursday and Friday's Garbage & Recycling Collection Will Be Delayed

November 11, Thursday - Veteran’s Day – No Collection

Tuesday and Wednesday – No change

Thursday pickup will be Friday
Friday pickup will be Saturday

The Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area photo contest is open for a few more weeks!

• Photos must be from one of MSNHA's six counties (Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone & Morgan), should be related to one of our three themes (the Tennessee River, music & Native American heritage & must show/represent/demonstrate what's special about northwest Alabama.
• To enter, post your images on your Facebook and Instagram accounts with hashtag #msnhaphotocontest2021. We'll find them & "like" them – that's all you have to do.
• The deadline is 5 p.m., Monday, November 15.
• After the deadline, MSNHA staffers will vote on their favorite pics. Winners will receive prizes from local businesses.
• You agree to let MSNHA use your images in marketing, promotions, publications, social media, etc.

Many old photographs, postcards and other images of Court Street in downtown Florence are still in existence today. But that is hardly true of other streets in the commercial district; therefore, when one is discovered, it is, indeed, a welcome document. Take, for instance, the attached photograph (click on the image to enlarge it). It very clearly depicts the north side of the 100 block of East Tennessee Street in the 1920’s – almost exactly 100 years ago. Three of the buildings in the photograph sit proudly in their same location today, serving as home base for a jewelry store, an Asian grocery store and an office for an attorney group. The remainder of the buildings were all razed at different times over the years. These once-handsome structures were replaced by a large, private parking lot. The City of Florence’s aggressive streetscape project has certainly helped to transform the parking lot from a bare island of asphalt into a space that is visually attractive. So, the landscape evolves – some would argue that it devolves – making photographs and other documents invaluable as the history of an area unfolds and is researched.

--Billy Warren, City Historian

• Public and community events or announcements can be submitted by attaching an email, Word document, PDF, or JPG file suitable for viewing on the web. Include graphics in JPG or PNG if possible.
• Along with your information, include your name, phone number, event name, location, date and time, and a brief description.
• IMPORTANT: Please submit your information no later than Tuesday of each week (preferably sooner). Submissions after the deadline will be added to the next week's publication. The newsletter is posted on Thursday afternoon.
• Send your information to rmansell@florenceal.org or call Rachel Koonce with questions at 256-760-6494.