Email community announcements to newscouriersoundoff@gmail.com.

Truck & Tractor Pull in Ardmore (Tennessee)

The 5th annual Ardmore Truck & Tractor Pull will be held June 20-21 (Friday and Saturday) at 26425 Hamlett Street in Ardmore, Tennessee, with each night’s activity kicking off at 7 p.m. Admission each evening is $20 per person at the gate; Kids ages 10 and under are admitted for free. For more information, call Darrell Norman (256-262-2649) or Eli Wallace (256-497-1264).

Friends and Family Day at Frazier 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).

Town hall meeting — Limestone County Alabama Democratic Conference

There will be a town hall meeting of the Limestone County Alabama Democratic Conference (A.D.C.) at Frazier C.M.E. Church (1108 Hines Street in Athens) on Wednesday, June 28 from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. A $5 donation is requested. Two $100 gift cards will be given away at the meeting.

Red, White, & Boom Festival for July 4th

Athens-Limestone County Tourism is excited to invite the community to the Red, White, & Boom Festival on July 4, from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. You may be familiar with the annual fireworks spectacular, but this year we are expanding the fun by adding vendors, food trucks, and live entertainment via Battle of the Bands at the Athens Sportsplex (1403 U.S. Highway 31 in Athens). Visit the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/exploreathensal/ for updated information leading up to the festival.

Pettusville Cemetery Homecoming/Decoration Day

The annual Homecoming/Decoration Day at Pettusville Cemetery will take place on Sunday, July 15. The service will begin at 11 a.m., with lunch to follow at 12 p.m. Brent Hawkins will be the guest speaker. Please bring a covered dish or two! Donations for cemetery maintenace may be mailed to Marcus Hobbs at 26965 Pettusville Road, Elkmont, AL 35620. Please make your donation check payable to the Pettusville Cemetery Fund. Your donations are greatly appreciated and are a must in order to maintain the cemetery grounds.

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

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.