My name is Lindsey Shirley. I am a senior at the University of North Alabama majoring in marketing. I am the student intern here with Florence Main Street. Being in business school, I find it interesting learning about how businesses began and how they have succeeded. During my time with Main Street I will be interviewing businesses, new and old, in downtown Florence and sharing with you their keys to success! Recently I had the pleasure to speak with the lovely ladies at the Surprise Store. Amanda Allison is the owner of the Surprise Store. Before they opened, it had been Florence Hardware for around forty years. In August 1980, Amanda's father purchased all of their inventory and auctioned it then opened the Surprise Store. She has actually worked there since then. In August they will be celebrating 36 years of operation. The Surprise Store offers Circle E candles, Aromatique, Claire Burke, Oil Paintings, artificial flowers, cemetery flowers, and they do custom arrangements. They are currently preparing for spring, which is one of their busiest times of the year because of decorations at cemeteries that occur usually around May.
Before meeting with Amanda and Lorie Lowry, her only employee, I had drafted up some questions to ask during the interview. 1. How have you managed to maintain your business so long? Amanda and Lorie agreed that the success of the Surprise Store relies on the friendly service, the quality of their products and services, and the willingness to satisfy customers’ needs and wants.2. What obstacles has your business had to overcome over the past years? In 1998, Wise Alloys announced they planned to buy Reynolds Metal Company in Florence. The citizens of Florence were concerned about the future of their employment status, if they would be laid off. Amanda said this was one of the obstacles they had to face. She said during that time she and other businesses couldn’t sell anything. Other hardships were similar with job closings at the paper mill and the state of the economy over the years.3. What has been the most rewarding part of your business? This was one of the easier questions. Without hesitation Lorie and Amanda said the best part has been the friendships they have gained with their frequent customers.4. How has your business impacted the community? Amanda said the Surprise Store offers a service that is no longer available in many areas. Also unlike big stores, they are able to provide a more intimate experience to their customers.5. How has the community impacted your business? The community has supported the Surprise Store for over 35 years now.6. What advice would you give someone who wanted to start their own business?Starting a business takes a lot of hard work and time. Amanda told me if you aren’t a hard worker, you are not going to succeed. Lorie added that you get out what you put in. 7. If you were to go back to the beginning, would you still choose downtown Florence, AL for your business? Why? Amanda was quick to answer this question with definitely. She said she loves the atmosphere of downtown and it is nice to be a part of the history.8. Would you change anything about the path of your business or career?Amanda said that the store is always changing. They change with the different trend and with the all of the seasons.It is clear that anyone looking to start their own business could learn a lot from Amanda at the Surprise Store. If you haven’t been to the Surprise Store you should check it out! They are located on Tennessee Street and are open Monday-Saturday 9am until 5pm.
2015 Florence Christmas Parade Winners Announced
Florence Main Street was responsible for the coordination of this year’s parade. “There’s not much more fun than a parade and the Christmas parade really gets everyone into the holiday spirit!” said Teryl Shields, Executive Director of Florence Main Street. “There’s no better way to get excited about Christmas than seeing all the cute kids and great costumes, hearing the wonderful bands from our community play holiday music and watching the floats go by.” Winners of the parade prizes were Best Band – Rogers High School; Best Performance Group – Forest Hills 4th Grade Show Choir; Best Business Float – Express Oil Change and Best Non-Profit/Community Organization—Faith Church. 2nd Place winners were Best Band – Brooks High School; Best Performance Group – Santa’s Elves/CHHS Winter Guard; Best Business Float – (Tie for 2nd) Singin’ River Brewing Company/Champion Community Credit Union and Best Non-Profit/Community Organization—Alabama Our Little Miss. “Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2015 Christmas parade. This parade gets such great interest and support from the community and this year’s bands, floats and dancers were fantastic” said Shields. First Southern Bank was the parade sponsor again this year and Florence Main Street thanks them for their continued support which makes possible the prizes to the Best Band, Business, Non-Profit and Performance groups. The parade couldn’t happen without the fantastic support of the University of North Alabama ROTC who handles logistics on the night of the parade along with the UNA University Police and the Florence Police Department providing assistance and coordinating a safe and secure environment for the parade. Anyone with questions about the parade can contact Florence Main Street at 256.760.9648.Florence Main Street is a non-profit economic development organization dedicated to working with business owners, community leaders, and residents toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Florence, culturally and economically. For more information about us or any of these efforts, please contact Florence Main Street at 256-760-9648 or info@florencemainstreet.org. 
Best Band – Rogers High School
Best Performance Group – Forest Hills 4th Grade Show Choir
Best Business Float – Express Oil Change
Best Non-Profit/Community Organization—Faith Church
2nd Place Best Band – Brooks High School
2nd Place Best Performance Group – Santa’s Elves/CHHS Winter Guard
2nd Place Best Business Float – (Tie for 2nd) Singin’ River Brewing Company
2nd Place Best Business Float - (Tie for 2nd) Champion Community Credit Union
2nd Place Best Non-Profit/Community Organization—Alabama Our Little Miss
A Walk Down Walnut
The book, A Walk Down Walnut, by local authors, Billy Warren and Dr. Tom Ott, and photographer, Jimmy Hill, has recently been reprinted.As the book’s title suggests, it takes the reader up and down Walnut Street Historic District in Florence, with “before” and “after” photographs – along with a brief history – of each of the 29 houses. Dr. Ott’s well-written introduction places the history of the street in the larger context of the region and nation during the 50 years in which the 29 houses were constructed.
There is a very limited quantity of the book available at $20.00 each. To secure your copy, call the Florence Main Street office at 256-760-9648, or email the Executive Director of Florence Main Street, Teryl Shields, at this address: tshields@florencemainstreet.orgCost for pick up at the Florence Main Street office is $20.00. Mailing in a check so that the book may then be shipped to you is $23.00 for the book and shipping. Cost for purchasing with a credit card so that the book may then be shipped to you is $25.00 for the book, card processing fee, and shipping.
Florence Christmas Parade 2015 presented by First Southern Bank
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There's no better way to celebrate the holidays than to experience the 'Sights & Sounds', this year's theme for the Florence Christmas parade. You are encouraged to theme your float, performance or musical group in costume, decoration or musical selection. Get creative & have some fun! Florence Main Street is once again responsible for coordinating the Florence Christmas Parade and as always, there are rules to be followed. These rules and regulations are to improve safety (following state laws and city ordinances) and provide increased enjoyment for participants and spectators. VERY IMPORTANT...The Parade route will follow Court Street from the north end at Rogers Hall on the UNA campus to the southern end at First Southern Bank (Alabama Street). Parade line up will begin at 6pm on Pine Street between Irvine and Cumberland Streets. Your exact time for line up will be determined by your placement in the parade. That information will be sent to you the week before the parade.Please remember with the Parade line up being on Pine Street and ending on South Court Street at Alabama Street to arrange your drop off and pick up locations to match those areas. 2015 Christmas Parade ApplicationThe following are the guidelines set forth for the 2015 Florence Christmas Parade:There will be awards for Best Decorated Float (Commercial & Non-Profit), Best Band and Best Performance Group.
More information is available from the Florence Main Street office by calling 256-760-9648.We thank you for your participation and look forward to seeing you at the 2015 Florence Christmas Parade. |
| Sincerely,
Teryl Shields
Executive Director
Florence Main Street
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Southern Foodways Alliance and Made in the Shoals present A Gravy Road Trip
Click the link to watch the Ice Cream, Coffee, and Community in Alabama: A Gravy Road Trip
Fall Fun Fest Letter to Local Charities
Dear Non-Profit Representative,Florence Main Street is coordinating our 2nd Fall Fun Fest, a Halloween inspired event to bring people to downtown Florence on Saturday, October 24th from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Similar to Florence Restaurant Week, we LOVE to spotlight as many local charities as possible exposing each one of you to large crowds of people.Our goal is to feature local charities as vendors providing fun activities for all ages on the 300 North block of Court Street and the 100 West block of Tombigbee streets. Each charity will have a large space to set up on the street. The sidewalks will be clear for visitors to walk comfortably during the event and the streets will be closed to all automobile traffic. To participate with us in this event, it is 100% FREE. If you are interested in being a vendor, we ask you to provide a free Halloween inspired children’s activity while promoting your organization to the public. As a reminder, no two organizations may host the same game. Main Street will reserve children’s activities on a first come first serve basis. While the focus will be on the activities you provide, we are also organizing other Halloween activities such as trick or treating with downtown businesses, a haunted trolley ride, and a costume contest for different age groups,. These activities will hopefully bring droves of people to downtown Florence for all kinds of different reasons and we want them to find out about you!The event will start at 4:00pm to give families and individuals time during the day to stop at every business for trick or treating before it gets dark. Businesses will stay open until 8:00pm to allow shoppers additional time. To conclude the event, Main Street’s judges will award the finalists of the adult costume contest to officially end the event at 8pm.The deadline to commit as a vendor is Thursday, September 25th. We will assign your booth space closer to the event. This deadline also gives us enough time to list your organization on all promotional materials when we market the event. If the organization misses the deadline, the charities name will not be included on marketing material. We hope you consider joining us for the 2nd Fall Fun Fest in downtown Florence.Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Please RSVP to Event Coordinator, Christina Hernandez, at christinad@florencemainstreet.org indicating what type of activity your organization will provide.Examples:Spooky Photo boothFortune TellingPumpkin Carving/ PaintingColoringCupcakes
We have a WINNER!
We are pleased to announce that the winner of our Downtown Bacon Crawl T-Shirt contest is Mr. David Sims.Congratulations, David!T-shirts will be available for purchase through our website by clicking on the Downtown Bacon Crawl button to the right at a discounted price beginning August 1st until August 14th.
T-Shirt Design Contest
Florence Main Street is looking for ‘creatives’…designers, artists, or even doodlers… to submit original artwork, designs, or drawings for our official 2015 Bacon Crawl t-shirt. There’s even a $500 cash award for the selected design. As this is a new event Main Street is hoping for an image that illustrates how much fun and how tasty the Bacon Crawl will be this September in downtown Florence. Below are the details and requirements which must be followed.Design Requirements: The following information must be included within the design1. Event details –a) Title: Downtown Bacon Crawl presented by Florence Main Streetb) Date: September 12, 2015c) Location: Downtown Florenced) Website: florencemainstreet.org2. Size cannot exceed 10.5 inches in width and 15 inches in length (best size to fit on back of t-shirt).3.Up to 2 colors may be used in the design.4. Select the color of the t-shirt that best fits your design. Colors available from which to choose from are pictured below. 5. OPTIONAL Referenced Themes: Bacon, Pork, Pigs, Downtown Florence, Shopping and/or dining6. Additional information – shirts will be screen printed locally, therefore please submit designs that, in your opinion will screen print well.
Eligibility & Age RequirementsThis contest is open to all artists, professional, amateur, and student alike. If you are under the age of 18, you must ask your parent or guardian permission before entering this contest. The contest is open to any student (K-12).Terms & QualificationsA limit of two submissions per person ONLY.Submit only original work. All designs must not contain copyrighted material and they cannot have previously won any awards.The winning design will become property of Florence Main Street and may be used for other marketing purposes.By participating, you agree to release, discharge and hold harmless Florence Main Street from any and all liability, loss, damage or injury resulting from participation in this contest.How to Enter:ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST INCLUDE 2 ATTACHMENTS*All emails should have the subject line “Bacon Crawl T-shirt Contest – First and Last Name.”a. T-shirt designb. Registration Form (Contact Florence Main Street, we will be happy to email or mail you the form.)Click here for an online versionEmail design submission in JPEG, PDF, or GIF format in high resolution (300dpi) not to exceed 8MB in size. Be prepared to submit the original drawing, Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop (vector art) files if your design is chosen.Christina Hernandez, Event Coordinatorchristinad@florencemainstreet.orgDeadline for submissions: Monday, July 27th Winner will be notified by Wednesday, July 29th Evaluation of Design Submissions:A panel of judges will make the final determination of the winning entry based on originality and creativity. The winner will be announced on our website and social media outlets on Friday, July 31st. A prize of $500 cash prize will be paid to the winner on the receipt of print-ready artwork.
Top 10 Restaurants You Should Try by Culturetrip.com
Read more about the 9 downtown restaurants who made Culture Trip's listing! Click here
Shoals Yoga in Downtown Launch
Main Street and Shoals Yoga are off to a fantastic start with the brand new program called Shoals Yoga in Downtown Series. For the Beginner Course, fifty-two people attended and we expect for each class to double in size as the month progresses. Our goal is to build this wonderful program every summer so the community has an opportunity to meet new people and learn a new way to exercise in downtown. We would like to thank Trinity Episcopal Church for letting us use their beautiful park as well as James Counts of the Counts Brothers Music for donating microphones and speakers.Below are a few pictures from the event.
Click here for the schedule of Shoals Yoga in Downtown Series!
Taste of Kick-Off Event Coverage
I was invited to participate in Florence’s Restaurant Week 2015. Wonderful local food (for free), great people and the chance to spend the weekend in one of my favorite cities, yes please!Florence is near and dear to my heart as it home of my alma mater, UNA. I both studied and taught journalism and photography at the university. I have many wonderful memories of the city, which has great restaurants, fun festivals and supports an impressive music and arts community.This year 14 restaurants are participating the Florence Main Street sponsored charity event. Each restaurant will offer specials for participants. As part of the event, patrons that eat at one of the restaurants will have the opportunity to vote for one of their five favorite charity. At the end of restaurant week the charity that has received the most votes will receive $5000, generously donated from McDaniel Window & Door.On Wednesday I attended the kickoff for restaurant week at Singin’ River Brewery and got to sample food from all of the restaurants. Everything was delicious and it made me super exciting about this weekend. I also got to meet my fellow bloggers: Eve and Roger from Friday Date Night and my blogger BBF Christi Britten Williams (we were photojournalism friends at UNA together) from Dirt Plate. Make sure you check out their posts this week as well. 
Here are the participating restaurants at the event. Make sure you check my blog next week lots of photos from the 5 restaurants I’m covering this weekend. I’m seriously regretting making an appointment with a personal trainer on Monday. :(Singin’ River Brewing Company
City Hardware and Ricatoni’s Italian Grill
Rivertown Coffee Co.
Odette
Imagine That Bakery
Sperry’s Restaurant
Wildwood Tavern
FloBama Downtown
Bookmarks Coffee Shop
Trowbridge’s
Legends
The Pie Factory
On The Rocks
2015 Charities Announced
Florence Restaurant Week Charity Nomination Phase
FLORENCE RESTAURANT WEEK 2015 NOMINATION PHASEFlorence Main StreetFlorence, AL – March 25 – Between April 1 and April 24, Florence Main Street wants you to nominate your favorite charity for the opportunity to win a $5,000 check. Last year during Florence Restaurant Week, Presenting Sponsor McDaniel Window & Door owner Mike McDaniel presented the $5000 winning charity check to SafePlace, Inc and he’s looking forward to making another charity very happy this year.“Presenting the $5000 check to SafePlace was not only an honor, but a privilege for myself and staff. It was exciting to see our local businesses thriving, while our community came together to raise awareness for so many wonderful charities. McDaniel Window & Door is excited to be the Presenting Sponsor again for 2015 Florence Restaurant Week, and I personally challenge all our local businesses to get involved and support this great event,” said owner, Mike McDaniel.Selected from the community’s nominations, five charities will be placed on a ballot for guests dining at participating restaurants during Florence Restaurant Week in May. Tuesday, April 1 through Friday, April 24th, nominate your favorite charity and tell us why they deserve this prize. (To be considered, a charity must be a designated 501c(3) organization with the state of Alabama and have an office in the Shoals.) The three most nominated charities will automatically be included on the ballot, and Florence Main Street will choose two wild-card charities based on input from our Presenting Sponsor, number of nominations, impact on our community, and other factors. SafePlace of the Shoals will be excluded from this years’ nomination phase because they were the winners of Florence Restaurant Week 2014.You can nominate your favorite charity four ways. Florence Main Street will have a poll on our Facebook page, on McDaniel Window & Door’s Facebook page, and on our website (www.dineoutflorence.com) or you can mail in your nomination. If you choose to mail in a nomination please include these items:Your First and Last NameYour Email addressName of CharityWhy you are nominating the charity?Name of Executive Director at the charity.Contact info for the charity. (Address & Phone Number)Then, from May 8-16, Florence Main Street will host Florence Restaurant Week 2015. Ballots will be available at participating restaurants. Every time you eat at a participating restaurant during Florence Restaurant Week, you will have the opportunity to vote for one of our five local charities. Every time you eat, you get to vote! Florence Restaurant Week is not only a showcase of our best local eateries, but it will also help to shine the light on some of our best local charities. The charity with the most votes at the end of the week will walk away with a check for $5,000 that will be used to do good work right here in the Shoals.Mark your calendars now for FLORENCE RESTAURANT WEEK–May 8-16, 2015! And please, help us do good where it counts by nominating YOUR favorite charity today!Participating Restaurants: Bookmarks Coffee Shop (inside the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library), Sperry’s, Wildwood Tavern, The Pie Factory, Singin’ River Brewery, Rivertown Coffee Company, Flobama Music Hall, Odette, Imagine That Bakery & Café, Legends Steakhouse, On the Rocks, Trowbridges, City Hardware, Ricatoni’s Italian Grill and more.Make sure to join the Facebook event and invite your friends to follow along with all things about Restaurant Week. Click here!Florence Main Street, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated of working with business owners, community leaders, and residents toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Florence culturally and economically. For more information about us or any of these efforts, please contact Florence Main Street at 256-760-9648 or info@florencemainstreet.org ###
Shoals Yoga in Downtown Series
SHOALS YOGA IN DOWNTOWNPresented by Florence Main Street
Florence Main Street is thrilled to announce our partnership with Shoals Yoga to bring the downtown community a 5 week yoga series in Wilson Park that is donation based. The goal of the Shoals Yoga in Downtown series is to incorporate elements of a healthy, happy, and peaceful life in downtown Florence.“Whether you have never taken a yoga class or you practice yoga on a daily basis, Main Street wants you to come to downtown to learn more about how yoga can benefit your lifestyle. After the classes, we invite everyone to visit boutiques, salons, restaurants, and other stores in downtown to see just how active and alive our community is,” said Christina Dorough Event Coordinator of Florence Main Street.The 5 week yoga series will be every Saturday morning at 10am beginning May 30th until June 27th. We invite all ages, genders, and employees of downtown businesses to participate. This series will flow from a basic beginners style class and progress into various poses and breathing techniques throughout the five weeks leading into the art of calming the mind as the final class on June 27th. We hope you'll bring a mat and an open mind and heart and join us for a fun, community building event that will leave you feeling calm and energized. While the series is free to attend please donate any amount you can as a way of thanking the yoga teachers for their time and efforts.
"We are excited to be offering this yoga series in downtown Florence to promote a stronger community and to give people the opportunity to experience a practice that facilitates physical and mental healing and peace of mind. Yoga is a five thousand year old science that has brought many positive changes into our lives and naturally, we want to share that with our family, friends, and community." -Danielle Snoddy, owner of Shoals Yoga and yoga teacher.May 30 taught by Danielle Snoddy, owner of Shoals Yoga.June 6 taught by Ashley Baker, yoga teacher at Shoals Yoga.June 13 taught by Connie Daniels, Shoals Yoga teacher trainee.June 20 taught by Sarah Prejeant, Shoals Yoga teacher trainee.June 27 taught by Danielle Snoddy.To learn more about Shoals Yoga and the services they provide please visit their website http://shoalsyoga.com/ or like their Facebook page Shoals Yoga.Florence Main Street, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to working with downtown business owners, community leaders, and residents toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Florence culturally and economically. For more information about us or any of these efforts, please contact Florence Main Street at 256-760-9648 or info@florencemainstreet.org ###
Florence Foodies 2015
Do you love downtown Florence’s unique restaurants and the surprising and delicious menus you find there? Florence Main Street is again shining the spotlight on Florence’s downtown dining revolution with the 2015 Florence Foodies series. Florence Foodies is a unique social dining experience with an exclusive menu that features dishes not seen before on a restaurant’s regular year round menu. Think ‘supper club’ at home grown restaurants with special menus and a rotating cast of new friends. You’re going to want to be a part of this year long event!
Florence Main Street began the Florence Foodie series in 2013 featuring eight restaurants and it quickly exploded within the dining environment of the Shoals. The Foodies series restaurant hops to different downtown eateries each month from March thru November. The 2015 Foodies schedule is amazing and a delicious experience is in store for attendees including new guest speakers and dishes to tantalize your taste buds!
“I think it’s safe to say that the Florence Foodies series was at the forefront of the local food scene. Folks had their favorite places to dine but Foodies opened them up to so many more. Our restaurants saw new faces become regular diners because of Foodies,” said Teryl Shields, Executive Director of Florence Main Street.
New for 2015 is a special event featuring Chef Alan Phillips of the Red Clay Epicurean. Chef Phillips, a native of the Shoals, graduated first in his class at Le Cordon Bleu California School of Culinary Arts. After working 10 years in the food industry in Los Angeles, he returned home to start his own company, where he takes the food cultures of the American South and puts his special twist on them. He is hosting the September Foodies special event featuring only products from Jack O’ Lantern Farms of downtown Florence. This will be the special foodie event of the year and is not to be missed.
“It was not hard to convince Chef Phillips to join the foodie program because he loves a challenge to wow people with different tastes and textures of food locals haven’t seen before. So naturally Chef Phillips jumped to the opportunity of working with Main Street. His mission with this event is to show why people should buy from the only hydroponic farm, Jack O’ Lantern Farm, in the shoals,” said Christina Dorough, Event Coordinator of Florence Main Street.The participating restaurants for the 2015 Florence Foodies series are Wildwood Tavern, Sperry’s Restaurant, City Hardware, Odette, Imagine That Bakery & Café, Dish Gourmet Café, The Pie Factory, and Rivertown Coffee Company.
Tickets for Florence Foodies will be available online for purchase at the Florence Main Street website, www.florencemainstreet.org/store/florence-foodies, including individual and full season tickets by Monday, January 16th. The special event tickets will be available on July 1, 2015.
“Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to dine with the best and most creative chefs in downtown Florence. This is a great opportunity to become aware of what's going on in our wonderful downtown restaurants. As a Florence Foodie you will get sneak previews of dishes that may be included on the menus in the future. The chefs go all out to display their creativity for the Florence Foodies and to WOW us with their new dishes. In addition to all this is the opportunity to meet other local foodie folks and to make new friends. As an experienced Florence Foodie, I highly recommend that you come join us for the 2015 dining experience, “ commented Dave & Debra Reasons, 2014 Florence Foodies season ticket holders and originator of The Brown Bag Review blog.
Florence Main Street, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to working with downtown business owners, community leaders, and residents toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Florence culturally and economically. For more information about us or any of these efforts, please contact Florence Main Street at 256-760-9648 or info@florencemainstreet.org
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Florence Main Street launches Downtown Chocolate Crawl
Downtown Florence boutiques, salons, and other businesses are turning into Chocolate Shops.Main Street wants to get you in the mood for Valentine’s Day by hosting our first Downtown Chocolate Crawl on Saturday, February 7th from 10am until 2pm. Everyone is invited to purchase a $5 ticket at Main Street’s tent in front of Mefford Jewelers (102 North Court Street), then follow the balloons to participating downtown businesses, where they can enjoy a variety of free chocolate samples (while supplies last) and take advantage of a 10% OFF discount at each location. Only ticket holders can sample the variety of chocolate and take advantage of the special discount. Tickets can be purchased online at this link or at the Main Street office, 301 North Pine Street. There are a limited number of tickets available, so early purchases are encouraged.“The beginning of the year can be a very slow sales time for our downtown Florence businesses. The Chocolate Crawl is a fun way to get folks downtown for sweet deals and to treat them to chocolate samples of all kinds. This is a great opportunity to check out our unique stores, their winter styles, end of season sales, and maybe some new Spring fashion collections,” said Teryl Shields, Executive Director of Florence Main Street.The crawl beings at 10am. We ask for all ticket holders to meet Main Street staff at our tent to be given a map, the discount ticket, and to put their name in the door prize bowl. Once you have visited all businesses, we ask for you to turn in your vote for the best chocolate item of the day by 2pm. The event includes door prizes of $25 Downtown Dollars that can be redeemed at participating stores. Downtown Dollars spend just like cash.“Don’t spill the news to the kiddos though. Children got to visit our merchants during the Fall Fun Fest for candy, costume contest, and much more. Now it is time for the adults and older teens to treat themselves to a day of shopping and chocolate,” said Christina Dorough, Event Coordinator for Main Street.Anyone participating in the Downtown Chocolate Crawl is encouraged to park at the public parking garage at the corner of Tennessee Street and Pine Street.The participating businesses are Cherry Tree Lane, Coat’s Clothing Company, Coco’s Boutique, Creative Jewelers, Earthside, Imagine That, Inga’s Lashes and More, Jewell’s Accessories Boutique, Le Vintage Soul, Mefford Jewelers, Merry Blu Boutique, Nicole Nicole Clothing and Design, Stained Glass Artistry, Surprise Store, The Carriage on Court, The Coiffure at 108, the end. Theatre, The Wine Seller, TRU Identity, Unraveled Yarn & Gifts, Ye Ole General Store, and more.Florence Main Street, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated of working with business owners, community leaders, and residents toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Florence culturally and economically. For more information about us or any of these efforts, please contact Florence Main Street at 256-760-9648 or info@florencemainstreet.org ###
2014 Florence Christmas Parade WINNERS Announced
The 2014 Florence Christmas Parade brought the sights and sounds of the holidays to historic downtown Florence and kicked off the holiday season. Over 85 floats, bands and performance groups marched, danced, sang and twirled their way down North Court Street to the delight of the spectators. Even Santa was on hand to wave at the crowd and shared some sweet treats.Florence Main Street was responsible for the coordination of this year’s parade. “There’s not much more fun than a parade and the Christmas parade really gets everyone into the holiday spirit!” said Teryl Shields, Executive Director of Florence Main Street. “There’s no better way to get excited about Christmas than seeing all the cute kids and great costumes, hearing the wonderful bands from our community play holiday music and watching the floats go by.” Winners of the parade prizes were Best Band – Wilson High School; Best Performance Group – Sole Dance Studio; Best Business Float – Champion Cheer Athletics and Best Non-Profit Organization—Faith Church.“Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2014 Christmas parade. This parade gets such great interest and support from the community and this year’s bands, floats and dancers were fantastic” said Shields. First Southern Bank was the parade sponsor this year and Florence Main Street thanks them for being so enthusiastic! First Southern Bank offered hot chocolate and balloons to parade spectators from their office on South Court Street. They also coordinated schedules with the North Pole so Santa could be here. The smiles on the faces of the little ones as Santa rode by on his sleigh were priceless! We offer First Southern Bank HUGE thanks for their sponsorship of the Christmas parade as it is through sponsorship that the parade can happen and prizes are available to be given. Big River Broadcasting served as the media sponsor and helped to get the word out about the Christmas parade and we thank them for all their hard work sharing the parade message.And the parade couldn’t happen without the fantastic support of the University of North Alabama ROTC who handles logistics on the night of the parade; UNA University Police and the Florence Police Department for all of their hard work providing a safe and secure environment for the parade. Anyone with questions about the parade can contactFlorence Main Street at 256.760.9648.
Florence Christmas Parade 2014
The parade is tonight Friday, December 12th beginning at 7:00pm. All floats can be seen coming down Court Street through Downtown Florence.
Christmas Ornament Project 2014
Downtown Florence is the place to be this holiday season and Florence Main Street is adding to the fun with a project involving local children and decorating the Florence Christmas Tree.Main Street is collaborating with Florence City Schools 3rd grade classes at Weeden, Harlan, Forest Hills Elementary schools. Every 3rd grader will create a Christmas ornament out of recycled materials and each class will create one 20x20 ornament to decorate Wilson Park. Recycled materials have been donated by City of Florence Recycling Department, The Surprise Store, Pegasus Records, Florence-Lauderdale Public Library, Alabama Chanin, Nicole Nicole Clothing & Design, and Scarborough Doors.Donated materials and representation:Keys: Key to the CityCD's: Music HeritageWater Bottles: TN RiverFabric: Fashion IndustryBooks: Great Authors of FlorenceThe class ornaments will be hung before the lighting of the Florence Christmas Tree on Friday, December 5th at 7:00pm. We invite the community to come to Wilson Park to see what our children have made for the holidays. 
Fall Fun Fest in Downtown Florence
Times Daily writes about our first ever Fall Fun Fest. Click here to read more.