Florence, AL Celebrate July 4th in McFarland Park

June 19, 2014

The 33rd Annual Spirit of Freedom Celebration, an annual Shoals tradition featuring live music, food, drinks and fireworks, is set for Friday, July 4 in McFarland Park in Florence.

Hit-Making Drummers to Perform at AMHOF on June 21 in Muscle Shoals

June 16, 2014

Want to hear some of Muscle Shoals music’s most celebrated drummers play and share stories about their amazing careers? Come to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 21. Jerry Carrigan, Roger Clark, Milton Sledge, Jimmy “BeBop” Evans, Owen Hale and Mickey Buckins will be together for a one-time-only reunion in the museum. Passion, technique, chops, control, dynamics, energy, grooves– these guys have it all and have played on hundreds of hit records.

May Visitation Numbers for Natchez Trace Parkway is Released

June 11, 2014

“This year, 489,190 people used the Parkway in May compared to 535,303 who were counted in 2013,” stated Superintendent Mary Risser.

Natchez Trace Parkway Announces Junior Ranger Program

June 8, 2014

The Natchez Trace Parkway invites children and their families to “Sensory Overload” a special Junior Ranger program held at the Parkway Visitor Center on Saturday, June 21, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. Junior Rangers will use all of their senses to learn more about wildlife along the Natchez Trace Parkway.

FLORENCE/LAUDERDALE TOURISM PLANS GRAND OPENING – JUNE 2

May 29, 2014

The long-awaited grand opening of the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Office & Visitor Center is scheduled for Monday, June 2 at 10 a.m. The Shoals Chamber of Commerce will be on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony. State and local dignitaries including Lee Sentell, Director of the Alabama Tourism Department, will also attend.

Prairie Walk at the Natchez Trace Parkway

May 23, 2014

TUPELO, MS: Delve into the beauty of Mississippi’s native Blackland Prairie with a park ranger on Saturday, June 7, 2014, at 9:00 a.m. at the Chickasaw Village Site. This one hour program will take participants on a half-mile walk through a prairie remnant in search of all that is wonderful in a prairie: wildflowers, birds, butterflies, and much more.

FLW PRO ANGLER TO HOST FOOD DRIVE TO BENEFIT SHOALS – JUNE 7

May 19, 2014

FLW Pro Angler Rich Dalbey will host a food drive to benefit the Food Bank of Northern Alabama when he is here to fish in the FLW Tournament on Pickwick Lake in June.

Cultural Resource Specialist Receives the Southeast Region Employee of the Year Award

May 14, 2014

Christina Smith, Cultural Resource Specialist for the Natchez Trace Parkway, received the 2013 Southeast Region Employee of the Year Award for excellence in cultural program leadership. The Southeast Region is comprised of 66 National Park Service units and employs almost 3,400 people.

1736 Chickasaw Triumph over the French to be Revisited at the Natchez Trace Parkway

May 14, 2014

(TUPELO, MS)-The Natchez Trace Parkway will welcome Public Historian Brian Mast to the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center onMay 24, 2014. Mast, from the Black Belt Museum at the University of West Alabama, will present a 45-minute program at 10:00 a.m. and again at 1:00 p.m. entitled “1736 Battle for Ackia: France’s Failed Attempt to Defeat the Chickasaw in Tupelo.” In between programs, children will have the opportunity to become “French Marine recruits,” while adults may examine military equipment on display.

April Visitation Numbers for Natchez Trace Parkway is Released

May 12, 2014

“The Natchez Trace Parkway experienced an increase in April recreational visits in 2014 over 2013 figures,” stated Superintendent Mary Risser. “This year, 512,813 people used the Parkway in April compared to 512,248 who were counted in 2013.”