Email community announcements to newscouriersoundoff@gmail.com.

Athens Police Department public notice

Take notice that that the following properties in the City of Athens, Alabama have been determined by the Enforcing Official under the City of Athens’ Local Weed Abatement Act — Act No. 2015-35 (the “Act”) to have overgrown grass and weeds that constitute a public nuisance in violation of Section 2 of the Act:

— CollegeSt/Market St.

— 806 2nd Ave

— US Hwy 72 East

— 703 Westview St

— Strange St/Washington St

— 721 Westmoreland Ave

The Enforcing Official has ordered that the overgrown grass and weeds on these properties must be cut within a specified time. If the public nuisance is not abated by hearing date June 11, 2025, then the City may enter upon the property, abate the nuisance and ultimately charge the resulting costs back to the property, where they will be added to the property taxes. If you have an interest in one or more of these properties, please immediately contact Officer Paul Tucker at 256-233-8700 for more information.

Ceramics hand-building workshop with Aaron Benson

The Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts in Florence  is pleased to present an opportunity to participate in a ceramics hand-building workshop with Aaron Benson, UNA Chair of Visual Arts and Design, Associate Professor and Director of Ceramic and Sculpture. Join us 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 31 to learn more about clay by building and glazing your own work in this one-day class.   Registration is limited and can be done online before the May 30 deadline at https://www.florencealmuseums.com/calendar. Participants also may register in person at the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts (217 East Tuscaloosa Street., Florence, AL. Cost for the session is a workshop fee of $95, which covers both instruction and the provided materials. Payments made in person at the Art Center can only be done via cash or check; call 256-760-6379 for additional information.

Vietnam Veterans of America meeting

The next meeting of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 511 and the Associates of VVA will be held on Monday, June 2 at the Alabama Veterans Museum Event Venue (114 West Pryor Street in Athens). A meal will be served at 5:15 p.m. with the meeting beginning at 6 p.m.

DAV meeting

The Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary Unit 51 will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3 at the DAV building (25396 Airport Road in Athens). Election of commander and the initiation of officers will be held at this meeting.

American Legion meeting

The American Legion Post 49 will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, June 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the DAV Building (25396 Airport Road in Athens). For additional information, contact Rod Huffman at 256-233-3023.

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. 

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.

Friends and Family Day at Frazier Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

You are cordially invited to join Rev. Christy Gill Strong and the Frazier CME Church family for its annual Family & Friends Day program at Frazier Church on Sunday, June 22. The service will begin at 10 a.m. The 2025 Family & Friends Day theme is “Embracing the Diverse Family of God.” The accompanying scripture is taken from Galatians 3:28. It reads: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ.” Minister Cynthia McCrary, an Associate Minister at Fletcher’s Chapel Primitive Baptist Church in Madison, will be this year’s guest speaker. McCrary is employed as the Deputy Executive Director for AMCOM Logistics Center, and is married to Minister Stanley McCrary.

Show Your Ride car show

The Lincoln-Bridgeforth Park Committee presents the Show Your Ride car show on June 28, welcoming all cars and trucks to the historical Pincham Lincoln Center (606 Trinity Circle in Athens). The show will run on Saturday, June 28 from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 9 a.m., and requires a $20 entry fee for each participating vehicle. Proceeds raised from the event will benefit the committee’s Christmas Charity Program, which provides toys for underprivileged children in the Athens area. The show will feature food, vendors, music, and more activities, while also awarding 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for winning vehicles. For more information, contact David Malone (256-431-3064), Lessly Williams (256-508-6325), or Fred Wilson (256-468-7649). 

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, please 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 https://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.