Tuesday, July 5, 2011 Well, I missed posting yesterday because of the holiday. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! But just because the holiday is over doesn’t mean there’s nothing happening today! Jacob Lovell is performing an acoustic set at McGraw’s Coffee House on Court St. at noon today. No cover charge, but I know they’d like it if you got lunch while you were there. Today’s special is quiche with bread and Greek pasta salad. Live music tonight (No admission for any of these!): Archie Hubbard, 5-7 p.m., Swamper’s – Inside Marriott Shoals   Heavenly Blessed  6pm, with special guest Keith Darby, Tourway Restaurant Chris Roach,  8-11 p.m., Where: Swamper’s – Inside Marriott Shoals Jeff Henson & Jordan Denton, 9 p.m., On the Rocks  Karaoke/Dance Music, 9 p.m., Side Pockets Loung... 07/05/2011

  Sunday, July 3, 2011 It doesn’t look like there is a lot going on today, at least not that I could find online or have heard about through other sources. I guess everyone is getting ready for big blow-outs tomorrow!   South Highland Free Will Baptist 704 State St. Muscle Shoals, is having a Block Party starting at 5:30pm. Live broadcast from The FiX! Lots of fun. Inflatables, free food. Come join the fun as they celebrate their VBS closing program. The Block Party event is open to the community.  Tonight’s musical offerings:   Karaoke, When: 7-10 p.m., Where: Sideline’s Sports Grille Tim Cannon – Acoustic, When: 8-11 p.m., Where: Swamper’s  Open Mic Night, When: 9 p.m., Where: On the Rocks     07/03/2011

Saturday, July 2, 2011 Day 2 of the long holiday weekend…there’s plenty to do when you finish cutting grass or if you decide you don’t want to go outside while its hot! Florence-Lauderdale County Farmer’s Market is today.from 6 am to noon (or whenever they sell everything). Fresh, Shoals-grown produce including mustard greens, turnip greens, collards, poke salad, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, etc. will be available. Since its all locally grown, you’re helping the local economy when you shop there! Corner of Chisholm Rd. and Cox Creek Parkway. The same goes for Jack-O-Lantern Farms Greenhouses Indoor Farmers Market across from the Holiday Inn in Sheffield from 9 am -2 pm.  Items available include hydroponically grown vegetables, Amish sweet cream butter, local honey, Shoals ... 07/02/2011

  Friday, July 1, 2011 Happy holiday weekend! It may be hot, but that doesn’t keep us at home or indoors in the Shoals…there are still plenty of things to do in and around Florence today… You can start early at the library today. Their Babies Love the Library  program for infants through 24 months is from 10:30-11am  This program includes music and motion, finger plays, nursery rhymes, and book exploration. Great for hooking your child on books from an early age! At lunchtime you can stroll over to McGraw’s Coffee House on Court St. to hear Hugh Banks & Rene Stamps perform, starting at noon. Today’s special is the pork tenderloin sandwich with their own BBQ sauce. For older kids at the library, they can go to the International Music program from 2-2:45. This week they are focusing on mu... 07/01/2011

  Thursday, June 30, 2011   Things have been hopping around here! To make my life a little easier I’m just putting the compiled list of events up without much comment. On to the next thing…   Spring Park Market: Upscale Farmer’s Market – This event will take place every Thursday. Fresh fruits and vegetables as well as homemade breads, jellies, soaps, and Shoals Culinary Center-made products will be available for purchase. There will be live music and cooking demonstrations. When: 4-7 p.m.,Where: Spring Park, Tuscumbia, Admission: Free, Contact: 256-764-4400 or 256-383-0783   Today’s live music: ·   Max Russell –Acoustic Jam, When: 5-7 p.m., Where: Swamper’s – Inside Marriott Shoals – 800 Cox Creek Pkwy. S., Florence, Admission:Free, Contact: 256-246-3600 ·   Acoustic Jam, When: 8-11 p.... 06/30/2011

  Wednesday, June 29, 2011  If  you didn’t get washed away in the storms yesterday, you have a choice of things to do.  You can start your day at the library. They are having an Advanced Microsoft Excel computer class from 10:30-12:30. This is a continuation of their basic class. Pre-registration is required, so give Abby a call at 256-764-6564, ext. 27 before you go. If you have little ones, take them to Story Time in the Youth Services department from 10:30-11 this morning. Today’s story is Honey…Honey…Lion by Jan Brett, so they are sure to love it! Once you leave the library, head across the street to Wilson Park for the Music in the Park Concert Series 2011.  The G.T. Band (aka Garage Therapy) is playing from 11:30-1:30. Pack a picnic basket and take a camp chair and enjoy the music... 06/29/2011

Tuesday, June 27, 2011 Turns out today is a stormy day, so outdoor activities are probably not a good idea! Fortunately, there are still things to do where you can stay dry. A day like this is a good day to curl up with a good book, so head over to the Florence-Lauderdale Public library. They are hosting a book signing at noon by Daniel Haulman, author of  The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949. There’s no admission fee. Haulman is a historian with the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama, the primary repository for Air Force historical documents. After the book signing, you can send the kids over to Youth Services from 2-2:45 for their Holidays around the World program. Today will be focusing on Ghana. Today’s live music is   Chris Ro... 06/28/2011

  Monday, June 27, 2011 Whew! It has definitely been a Monday all day…from a too-long meeting this morning, to a flat tire with a rusted-on lug nut. I’m hoping the afternoon and evening will go better! So here’s what sounds good on this Monday from…well, you can fill in the blank! The Florence library is having another eReader party at 5:30 tonight, so if you haven’t had a chance to get to one before, here’s another chance. You do have to register since seating is limited. Call 256-764-6564, etc. 27 to register. Today is the last day to pre-register and pay fees for the Tennessee Valley Art Association’s summer art camps for kids. Call 256-383-0533 to get more information. The camps offer classes in pastels, painting, mask-making and sculpture, to name a few. They have one age group fro... 06/27/2011

Sunday, June 26, 2011 The Helen Keller Festival is winding down today. The demonstrating artists and other booths will still be set  up in Spring Park unti 5 pm. The musical guests today are Three on a String at 1 pm and the LeFevre Gospel Quartet at 2:30 pm. The good news for today is that admission to Spring Park is FREE! Downtown Florence Unlimited is sponsoring a brand new event today…Front Porch Sunday.  You can wander through the historic neighborhoods, stopping to visit and have a glass of lemonade on designated front porches on Court St., Wood Ave., Walnut St., and Poplar St.. Billy Ray Warren will be conducting a walking tour of Walnut St., beginning at 2 pm. If you want to go on the walking tour, it will leave from the corner of Walnut St. and Hermitage Dr. There are other hou... 06/26/2011

Saturday, June 25, 2011 Ah, Saturday is finally here! Everybody loves to get out on the weekend, so here’s some interesting things you can do today! The Helen Keller Festival continues today. All kinds of things are going on in Spring Park between 9 am and 5 pm.. ·       Be sure to take the kids by Imagination Station. Its free and they get to make their own artwork to take home. ·       Several artists are set up to demonstrate what they do. Maxine Williamson (jewelry and homemade paper), Susuan Parry (lampworked glass jewelry), and Bettye Kimbrell (quilter) will all be there to answer questions and talk about their crafts, as well as showing you how they work. ·       Live music wil... 06/25/2011

Well, after falling victim to a migraine last night, I didn't get my blog post ready for today. :( So it may be a little short, even though there are LOADS of things going on today and tonight. Feel free to post other events in the comments! The first thing that comes to mind is the 2nd day of the Helen Keller Festival. I went to downtown Tuscumbia for dinner last night and it was in full swing. Every time I go there, I ask myself why I don't go more often, So head on over there and check out some of this stuff:   5 Mile and 23 Mile Family Bike RideFriday June 24th, in the parking lot of Spring Creek Golf Course. Registration is from 5-6 p.m., with the ride starting at 6. Entry fee is $10 if postmarked by 6/21 and $12 after that date. All entrants will receive a free t-shirt. Register a... 06/24/2011

  Thursday, June 23 Today marks the beginning of the Helen Keller Festival in Tuscumbia. Events start as early as 8 am and last all day. The festival goes through Sunday, with too many events to list here! If you check out their website, you can go to the calendar of events for more specifics. Today’s big events are the parade this evening at 6pm and a street party/dance at 7pm. As with most days, there are lots of opportunities for live music tonight. Swamper’s at the Marriott has McKenzie Lockhart from 5-7pm and Byron Green from 8-11.  My sources say there may be live music tonight at Crocodile Ed’s (6-9 pm) and Sidelines Sports Deli (8-11 pm), but I haven’t been able to find out who is playing.  On the Rocks in downtown Florence has Matt Roy starting at 9 pm tonight. There may be a c... 06/23/2011

Wednesday, June 22 Music, music, music! Today is the weekly Music in the Park Concert Series from 11:30-1:30 at Wilson Park in downtown Florence. Today’s artist is Mitch Mann. No admission charge, but you should take your own chair or blanket to sit on. Take a picnic lunch with you, too, to enjoy while you listen to the music! If the weather isn't cooperating, listen to WQLT or call them to find out whether today's concert has been cancelled. Also during lunchtime today, you can visit McGraw’s Coffee House to hear Kate Tayler Hunt and Kimi Samson. They start at noon and there is no admission. Hey, here’s an idea…grab some lunch from McGraw’s (today’s special is a veggieburger and a side), listen to some music there for a few minutes, then stroll over to the park and catch part of that ... 06/22/2011

Wow...this is going to be more difficult than I thought...mostly because there is so much happening! I can see that I'm going to have to try to post these early in the day. Let's see...the first opportunity to get out and do something today is at 6 am. Now I'm not a morning person, but I know a lot of people are, so I'll include something for you guys. The Florence-Lauderdale County Farmer's Market is at the park at the intersection of Chisholm Rd. and Cox Creek Parkway in the open pavilion. There are all kinds of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, as well as plants and homemade jams, jellies, and other goodies. It is open from 6 am to noon, or whenever they sell out of everything and go home. There is no admission charge. I stopped by there last week myself and got a HUGE wate... 06/21/2011

Monday. The first day of summer. Seems like a good day to start something new! "There's nothing to do around here!" How many times have you heard that? I hear it all the time and I just don't understand it! One of the beautiful things about living in Florence and the Shoals area is that there is ALWAYS something to do.  Apparently, not everyone can find all those things, so for the next year (if I stay on top of it! lol) I am going to document "something to do" every day. So if you have an event planned and want to get the word out, let me know! Monday, June 20, 2011 Now I haven't played backgammon since I was a child, but I have a friend who plays it with much shouting and gnashing of teeth on his phone. I'm thinking it must be more exciting than I remember! On Monday nights, the North... 06/20/2011

Houses for sale in Florence, AL are everywhere you look. Turn on the national news and you'll hear all about how its a buyer's market and the housing market is still going down. That sellers are desperate and buyers are scared. Before you decide NOT to sell right now, consider this:  In May, there were 36 sales in the city of Florence. That's down only 4 sales complared to May of last year. The median sale price last month was $114,075, up from a median sale price in May 2010 of $108,950. The average sale price did drop from $150,772 last May to $127,363 this May. However, when you look at the numbers more closely, it is because there were more high-end properties that sold last May.  Remember, the real estate market is local. In a small to medium market like Florence, AL, the values ha... 06/20/2011

  While ironing out some details on a contract for some real estate in Florence, Alabama, the sellers had a question about how assisting the buyers with their closing costs would affect their bottom line.  If you're a seller then that's what's important; what you're going to walk away with at closing. Well, let me explain how you, the seller, can open up your home to an additional set of buyers and how it affects your bottom line. In today's market there isn't as many buyers with a surplus of cash in the bank to apply towards their dream of home ownership. Therefore, sellers need to be creative in order to reach this group of buyers and stay ahead of their competition. Here's an example of how this works. Say you have your home on the market and you're asking $250,000. A buyer comes alo... 06/04/2011

   Searching For Waterfront Homes For Sale in Florence Alabama?   So, you've decided it's time to fulfill your dream and become the owner of a beautiful waterfront home on Wilson Lake.  Or, you just want a small weekend retreat.  Whichever the case may be, just imagine how great it would be to spend your free time fishing from a pier like this with this spectacular view!   There are many wonderful waterfront homes for sale in Florence ranging from small cabins on a creek to beautiful mansions overlooking Wilson Lake.  No matter which fits your dream, I will bet you can find it here.  If you are interested in taking a tour of some of the waterfront homes for sale, or just have questions about Florence in general, please give me a call.  I will be glad to help you in any way i can. You al... 06/03/2011

Here are some home sales statistics for homes in the Florence, Alabama area.  These statistics include any residential property within the Florence, AL city limits.   Residential Sales from January 1st, 2010 till April 30th, 2010   Number of Sales Total Sales Average Sales Price Median Sales Price 111 $14,007,535 $126,194 $96,900   Residential Sales from January 1st, 2011 till April 30th, 2011   Number of Sales Total Sales Average Sales Price Median Sales Price 121 $14,891,331 $123,068 $112,000   Those numbers look good!  As you can see we’ve seen an increase in residential sales volume in Florence, AL this year compared to the same time in 2010.  This years sales have shown an “organic” growth as compared to last year when the first time home buyer credit was offered.   Residential Sa... 05/27/2011

  Today I wanted to take a look at what the residential market has done in Florence, AL over the last four years.  I’m not truly surprised by the results, especially sales volume and number of sales.  Mainly because I can tell that business has slowed down a bit.  Anytime I speak to a fellow Realtor they’ve experienced the same things I have.  Not as many people being able to actually buy a home in Florence, AL.  People just aren’t buying as much as they were before the recession hit.  But I was surprised to see what has happened to our average sales price of a home in Florence, AL over the last four years.   Here’s a graph of how the sales volume of homes in Florence, AL has been affected by the recession.     As you can see, the residential market in Florence, AL peaked in 2007 with a... 05/23/2011