Athens Main Street receives MSNHA community grant

Published 1:00 pm Sunday, November 12, 2023

Athens Main Street has been selected to receive the 2023 Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area Community Grant.

“We are incredibly proud that MSNHA selected us for this $7,500 investment to enhance our farmers market’s attractiveness and functionality,” Athens Main Street Executive Director Tere Richardson said.

Richardson added that the historic Athens Farmers Market at Doug Gates Park, located in beautiful downtown Athens, is a very culturally diverse area.

“The area also represents people of all different socioeconomic statuses. It not only highlights the finest offerings from local farmers and craftsmen but, with ongoing enhancements, it will serve as a versatile venue for various events,” she said.

Through this grant, Athens Main Street has been able to provide a badly needed new roof to the market’s main pavilion.

Non-profits, local governments, businesses, schools, and other groups & organizations may apply for community grants through MSNHA. Applicants and projects must be in MSNHA’s six-county region which includes Limestone County. The Athens Farmers Market renovation project falls within MSNHA’s mission by fitting within the category of historic preservation.

The Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, which operates under the University of North Alabama, was designated by Congress in 2009 to preserve history & culture in the Tennessee River’s northwest Alabama counties: Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone & Morgan. We promote cultural tourism through education, preservation & conservation. Their mission is to inform & educate; develop & interpret historic sites; create living-history experiences; and chronicle landscape evolution, for the largest audience possible.