The top 5 designs have been selected by our panel of judges and now it is time for you to vote for your favorite! Voting ends July 30th, 2016 and the winning design will be announced on July 31st.To place your vote click here.
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Florence Main Street is looking for 'creatives'...designers, artists, or even doodlers... to submit original artwork, designs, or drawings for our official 2016 Bacon Crawl t-shirt. There's even a $500 cash award for the selected design. As this is the second year this event has happened, 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 design
1. Event details -
a) Title: Downtown Bacon Crawl presented by Florence Main Street
b) Date: September 10, 2016c) Location: Downtown Florenced) Website: www.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. T-shirt colors are listed below and will be posted at www.florencemainstreet.org in a blog post about the t-shirt design contest.
5. OPTIONAL Referenced Themes: Bacon, Pork, Pigs, Downtown Florence, Shopping and/or dining.
6. Additional information - shirts will be screen printed locally, therefore please submit designs that, in your opinion will screen print well.
Eligibility & Age Requirements
This 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 & Qualifications
A 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 design
b. Registration Form (Click here for the form)
Email design submission to mollya@florencemainstreet.org 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.
Molly Austin, Event Coordinator
Deadline for submissions: Friday, July 22nd, 12pm (noon). NO EXCEPTIONS!
Evaluation of Design Submissions:
A panel of judges will select the top 5 designs and those designs will be put out to the community via a Facebook Poll to vote on their favorite from July 23rd - 29th. The winning design will be announced on July 30th on our website and social media outlets. A prize of $500 cash prize will be paid to the winner on the receipt of print-ready artwork.
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Lucas Wassner is the owner of Dixie Garage, a men’s supply shop, located in downtown Florence on Mobile Street. He grew up in Muscle Shoals and got a degree in outdoor recreation at the University of North Alabama. He then worked as a park ranger in South Dakota at Wind Cave National Park for three seasons. After he and his wife spent a month on the road and two months in Florida, they decided to come back to Florence. For a year and a half Lucas was the manager at Alabama Outdoors then he left to open Dixie Garage August 2015. For the first six months he shared a space on College Street with another business. That space is actually where he got the name for his business; Dixie Garage is what his friend called the space prior to him moving in. February 2016, Lucas moved Dixie Garage to 110 East Mobile Street. I asked him why he chose downtown Florence and he said, “because I love downtown Florence, I love the people and the events. It is the place to be.”
Dixie Garage is such a unique store, I was very curious as to what inspired Lucas to start his business. He told me that he was seeing a new store for women opening up every other week. There was a need in the community for a men’s store. There are many boutiques in the area for women, so why not for men? He wanted to open a store where men could find original products that couldn’t just be found in department stores. He was tired of getting the same basic stuff.
Just like most new businesses, Lucas faced challenges when starting his business. He said one of the hardest things was getting exposure. To get a jump on getting their name out, the Dixie Garage Instagram account was started a month before they opened their doors. They also set up booths at First Fridays downtown. Another challenge he mentioned is that starting and managing your own business takes a lot of time and effort. Lucas and his wife, Chelsea, are the only ones working at Dixie Garage. With a one year old daughter and a baby boy on the way, time and effort will be an ongoing challenge.When it comes to the future, Lucas does not really want to open multiple locations. He would rather make the one location a destination, a place where people come from out of town to shop. He would like to grow his inventory, have a wider variety of products, and get more people in the door.
Lucas is a few months shy of the one year anniversary of Dixie Garage’s opening. It is always best to take advice from someone that has been in the same situation, so I asked him what advice he would give to someone wanting to start their own business. He simply replied, “Quit talking about it and do it.”We talked about the difficult parts of owning a business but what are the rewards? Lucas said his inventory is made up mostly of makers products, products that are locally made. He said they get just as excited when he makes sells. He is glad to help them by doing this.My final question for Lucas was how did he want to impact the community. He told me he wants to be new and fresh always and he wants to bring in lots of traffic from other places. One way he is doing this is by Bingo Night. Monday April 18 was the first Bingo Night hosted by Dixie Garage at 116 on Mobile Street. Lucas said it was a great turn out and he hopes to make it a monthly event.
We are just as excited to see how Lucas and Dixie Garage will change and grow the community! They are open Monday 11-5 and Tuesday-Saturday 11-7. Stop in and check out all the cool products they have!
The first of February this year Ashlee Haddock opened her relocated business, Thread, in downtown Florence. Thread is a fabric store that has everything you could need for sewing, even classes to teach you how. The store originally opened in 2010 in Tuscumbia. It was not until November 2013 that Ashlee bought the store from Alyson Ray. When I asked Ashlee why she chose to relocate to downtown Florence she informed me there were a few reasons for this change. Ashlee stated, “Downtown Florence is really growing and booming.” She also told me she needed a bigger space for her business. Ashlee also noted that the building she relocated to is actually the building where Wilson’s Fabrics was located. The owner of the building, Rob Wilson, is the son of the couple who opened Wilson’s Fabrics in 1949. Many who have grown up in the Shoals area can remember going to Wilson’s with their parents or grandparents. Ashlee said she had many memories herself. In 2010, after 61 years of operation, Wilson’s closed their doors. With such a background, the space does seem just perfect for Thread.
Ashlee was born and raised in the area. She and her husband, Brad Haddock, and their two children moved back to Florence from Florida about seven years ago. She taught P.E. for 21 years. I was curious to what inspired her to purchase Thread. Ashlee said, “I have always had a passion for sewing. It is my creative outlet, my therapy, my go-to.” When Alyson approached Ashlee about selling the store to her, it was an easy decision for Ashlee. She said it was “a dream came true.” While she enjoyed teaching, she had reached a time in her life where she needed a change. Ashlee said, “Life happens and changes your priorities and perspectives,” and she said you need to “find your passion.” I believe Ashlee is proof that it is never too late to chase your dreams and follow your passion.As someone going on three years of owning her own business, I asked Ashlee what advice she had for someone who wanted to start their own business. Ashlee said, “Do it! Don’t be afraid. I was a school teacher and could have stayed in my comfort zone, but you just have to go all in. If it works, that is great. If not, pick yourself up. Don’t get discouraged.” She also said, “You need to know what people want. Buying is a big thing and you need to know how much to buy, not too little or too much.” Ashlee recently had a class from UNA visit. She talked to them about being buyers and going to market. One thing she said to keep in mind when going to market is just because you like it does not mean your customers will.
Ashlee clearly loves what she does. When asked what the most rewarding part of owning Thread is, she said the customers. She loves “seeing the customers after they finish a quilt or whatever it is.” Seeing them so excited and fulfilled by what they have accomplished is an award all in itself. Quilting Retailer magazine just had an article about Thread, Ashlee said, “it is cool to have that peer review.”While it has it rewards and benefits, there are difficulties to overcome. I asked Ashlee about hardships she has to deal with. She stated the biggest difficulty she is faced with is finding out what people want. Ashlee said, “What I want to do or class I want to teach, isn’t always what everyone else wants. It is trying to get them interested and giving them what they want that gets business and raises revenue.” She also said another problem she has is finding her limits for saying no to people. While you want to meet customers’ needs, you have to know when and where to draw the line.Being new to downtown Florence, I was interested in the future Ashlee has in store for Thread. So I asked Ashlee about her long-term goals for her business. She said she wants “growing classes, more workshops, and collaborations with Unraveled or people with like-minded creativity and goals.” Ashlee wants to create a community of sewing. She said one thing she really loves is the sound of lots of machines going in her store during a class. I also asked her how she wants Thread to impact the community. Ashlee could not quite find the words she was looking for but one of her employees, Shelley Spidel, helped out and said just what Ashlee was thinking. Shelley said, “We want to create an environment that inspires creativity and fosters community among the makers of the Shoals.”
Ashlee Haddock is truly an inspiring person and it was an honor to get to speak with her. Thread is located downtown next door to Unraveled, 213 North Court Street. Monday-Friday their hours are 10am-5:30pm, and Saturday 10am-3pm.
Do you love downtown Florence? Want to help it continue to grow in economic strength and cultural vibrancy? Then come have some fun and play a round of golf with Florence Main Street!All funds raised by Florence Main Street are used to support the visual appeal and economic strength of downtown Florence along with promoting it as the cultural and historic heart of our community. Here's a little more about Florence Main Street...Florence Main Street is a non-profit organization working to maintain, strengthen and promote historic downtown Florence. Affiliated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center, we focus on the four elements that help define the success of a downtown; Organization, Design, Promotion, and Economic Development.The Florence Main Street project was the brainchild of several talented and forward thinking business owners, downtown residents, city leaders, University of North Alabama professors, historic preservationists and cultural leaders. In 1992 they petitioned the Florence city council and mayor to begin a Main Street organization. They also solicited the application thru the state of Alabama to become a part of the state-wide Main Street Organization.Since 1992 more than $190 million has been invested in downtown Florence renovation and construction through public and private funding. More than 2000 new jobs have been created and a net of 512 new businesses have settled here. More than 200 events such as Music in the Park, Renaissance Faire, UNA’s Storytelling Festival, Arts Alive, and W.C Handy Festival have become yearly events and take place in downtown Florence. The Florence Main Street boundaries are generally the Tennessee River to the South, the University of North Alabama to the North, Florence Cemetery to the East and the termination of Mobile and College Streets to the West. Florence Main Street also works in nearby neighborhood business districts. Florence Main Street receives financial support from the City of Florence, private sponsors, individuals and Florence Main Street fundraisers.Funds raised by Florence Main Street go to support restoration and revitalization efforts in historic downtown Florence. Examples of uses of funds are retail and special events to increase awareness of the downtown community, building façade improvements, downtown beautification, banners, gifts of public art, recruitment of new business.Florence Main Street is responsible for the following (and more!):Christmas Open House ~ Lion Night with UNA ~ Florence FoodiesSilver Screen Project ~ Historic Downtown CalendarFall Fun Festival ~ Mural on Fred’s Building ~ Upstairs DowntownEducation Seminars for Businesses ~ Chocolate CrawlMedallion in the floor in the lobby of the FLPL ~ Christmas ParadeGranite sidewalk inlay of the City of Florence original mapDowntown banners & Christmas lights ~ Merchant MeetingsQuarterly Retail Shopping Events ~ Inventory of BusinessesFlorence Restaurant Week ~ Downtown Shopping BrochureDowntown Bacon Crawl ~ Downtown Dollars So grab three friends and hit the links at Blackberry Trail and help make downtown Florence even better! Click here to register your team.Call the Florence Main Street office for more information, 256-760-9648 or email info@florencemainstreet.org.
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.
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
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.
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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. |
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Teryl Shields
Executive Director
Florence Main Street
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Click the link to watch the Ice Cream, Coffee, and Community in Alabama: A Gravy Road Trip
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 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.
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.
Read more about the 9 downtown restaurants who made Culture Trip's listing! Click here
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!
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
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 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 ###