TOURISM OFFICE WILL HOST TWO PUBLIC EVENTS IN OCTOBER

Dulcimers Oct. 16 and Haunted History Oct. 18

The new Florence/Lauderdale Tourism & Visitor Center in McFarland Park will host two events in October which are free and open to the public.

The Tennessee Valley Strummers will play dulcimer music in the Visitor Center’s Gallery from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 16. The dulcimer, a word which means “sweet sound,” is a four-stringed instrument developed in the 1700s in the southern Appalachian Mountains. The featured players use a tablature system of playing, based on fret numbers, which enables them to play with others – even if they have never met before.  Visitors are encouraged to come out and enjoy the music and tour the new center.

The second event, “Haunted History,” is set for Saturday, October 18 at 11 a.m.  Local author and ghost tour guide Debra Glass will tell historically-based tales from her hometown of Florence and the Shoals area. Glass is the author of more than 35 books, including the “Skeletons in the Closet” ghost story collections. Since childhood she has been fascinated by “things that go bump in the night.”  Her books will be available in the Visitor Center Gift Shop, as well as information on her walking tours. Since its beginnings in 2002, the Haunted History of the Shoals Ghost Walk Tour has become a perennial favorite during the Halloween season.

For more information, contact the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism office at 256-740-4141.