Email community announcements to newscouriersoundoff@gmail.com.

Juneteenth event
Preserving Diversity in America is hosting a Juneteenth Festival Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Swan Creek Park and Athens Middle School Auditorium (100 & 101 U.S. 31 North Athens, AL). The community is invited to enjoy all genres of music and celebratory worship and community fun. The Townsend Family will open the event. Speakers will encourage and give a Juneteenth Charge to “move forward with freedom, inclusion and integrity.” Multi-cultural and multi-ethnicity groups are embraced and will delight the community with international entertainment, cultural exchange, camaraderie and diversity. Bring lawn chairs. Some seating will be available under each pavilion. Food trucks and merchandise vendors, college recruiters and healthcare providers will be on sight, along with businesses. Hair exposition will begin at 1 p.m. in the Auditorium. Go to Preserving Diversity in America Social Media page for more details. Social Media: facebook.com/PreservingDiversityinAmerica/.

Families, churches, organizations and businesses are welcome to bring tents, chairs and tables. Guests may also provide arts and crafts, informational brochures, souvenirs and/or games for the community. Special performances encouraged. Only food trucks and merchandise vendors are required to pay a fee. This event is free admission to the community. Please support our vendors. For more information, call Dr. Sharon Waddle at 256-617-9534.

Senior Center bingo

A free bingo afternoon for seniors ages 50 and up will be held on Tuesday, May 20 at the Pulaski Recreation Center (333 East College Street, Pulaski, TN 38478). Activities for this free event begin at 1 p.m., including games, an array of prizes (small appliances, tools, luggage, vintage goods and more) up for grabs, plus drinks and snacks available on site.Main door prizes include a 32-inch television, a 12-piece cookware set, and more. Respond to the requested RSVP by calling 931-209-8639.

Junk Food Bingo — Alabama Veterans Museum benefit

The public is invited to an afternoon of Junk Food Bingo, an event to benefit the Alabama Veterans Museum on Saturday, May 24. Cost is $10 for a hot dog meal plus two bingo cards to get you started (additional card can be obtained for $5 apiece). Sponsored by Athens Chapter #214 of Order of the Eastern Star, the event will begin at 2 p.m. and will be held at the Athens Masonic Lodge (18071 Lucas Ferry Road in Athens).

Ceramics hand-building workshop

The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, 217 East Tuscaloosa Street, Florence, AL, will present a ceramics hand-building workshop with Aaron Benson, UNA Chair of Visual Arts and Design, Saturday, May 31, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Learn about clay by building and glazing your own work in this one-day class. Register online before May 30 at florencealmuseums.com/calendar or register in person at the center. Space is limited. Cost for the session is $95, which covers instruction and materials. Payments made in person at the center must be cash or check. For more information, call 256-760-6379.

New Garden Cemetery Decoration

Decoration at new Garden Cemetery (20350 New Garden Road in Elkmont) will be held on June 7 and June 8. Donations for cemetery upkeep can be made on both days. Donations also can be mailed to Harold Atkinson, 20321 Sandlin Road, Elkmont, AL 35620; or to Daniel Adams, 18505 Coffman Road,  Elkmont, AL 35620.

Support Group

Support groups for domestic abuse victims and survivors will be held at the Family Resource Center on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. and on Fridays at noon. Facilitated by Crisis Services of North Alabama. For more information, call 256-230-1240.

Women Empowering Women

Every fourth Sunday of the month, the Women Empowering Women of Alabama will meet at Freshwind Church, located at 17200 Lucas Ferry Road. Athens, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. from February to October. For more information, you can contact Rev. Janice Elisa Lanier Williams at 256-233-5995 or you can visit their website at wewoa.org/.

Houston Memorial Library

The Houston Memorial Library and Museum is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Home to a large collection of mystery, fiction, children’s, young adult and western books to be checked out with a $5 per year membership. The historic residence, which was built in 1834, also has a book sale room that is open each day. The museum has period furniture, civil war memorabilia and Native American artifacts.

Virtual exercise class

Limestone County Council on Aging presents virtual exercise class 2–3 p.m. Mondays and Fridays via Zoom. The classes are called S.A.I.L., which stands for Stay Active and Independent for Life. More information: 256-233-6412.

Book sale

Friends of the Athens-Limestone Public Library host a used book sale from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. each Tuesday and the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the library, 603 S. Jefferson St., Athens. More information 256-232-1233.

TOPS meeting (Mondays)

Athens AL TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Evening Chapter #0616 meets weekly on Mondays, at the Athens Activity Center on Pyror Street. Weigh-in starts at 6 p.m., and the meeting at 6:30 p.m. For more information, email: AthensAL616TOPS@gmail.com.

Food giveaway

Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church’s food pantry will be open 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at 1911 Hine St., Athens. Patrons must provide proof of at least one of the following: eligibility to receive supplemental food assistance (SNAP/food stamps); eligibility for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families; eligibility to receive Supplemental Security Income; income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level; or special circumstances. Eligibility forms provided at distribution site. Must have valid ID card or driver’s license. Only one distribution per household while supplies last. Monetary and food donations accepted. More information: 256-424-5403.

Hearts for Homeless

Please join The News Courier, and several others, as we try and help out our homeless population in Athens and Limestone County. Please give whatever essentials you can. All donations can be left at The News Courier’s office at 410 W. Green St. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Other donation sites include; Don Carter Heating and Cooling on 72 East, Toodlebugs on E. Hobbs St. and One Main Financial on 72 East.

Flower and Flag Regulations for Athens Cemeteries

(City; Hine-Hobbs St., Old City, Roselawn and Thatch-Mann Cemetery) No flowers or decorations allowed on the ground for maintenance, unless following a funeral. Placement of flowers is acceptable year-round on monuments. Flowers will be removed after funerals as follows: Fresh flower removal will take place seven (7) days following a funeral. Silk flower removal will take place twenty-one (21) days following a funeral or to be placed on grave as specified above. Approval by Superintendent of Cemeteries is required before planting flowers, shrubs, trees, or sod grass. City Cemetery personnel shall remove any trees or shrubs that become detrimental to the adjacent lots or prevent opening of a grave. The City of Athens Cemetery Department will remove flags and properly dispose of them, when they are so worn that they are no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country. The City of Athens will not replace any worn flags that it removes. The City of Athens does not assume any liability for any monument, flowers, shrubbery, ornaments, flags, etc. in any City owned cemetery.

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