October 2008 Archives

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama State Department of Education continue to provide funds to schools through the Safe Routes to School initiative.  The purpose of this program is to enable and encourage students in grades K-8, including those with disabilities, to walk and bike to school and to make these alternatives safer and more appealing.  The projects will improve roadway safety, reduce traffic fuel consumption and reduce air pollution in the vicinity of schools.  The SRTS program is divided into two funding categories, infrastructure and non infrastructure.  The guidelines and application instructions are available on the ALDOT website.  Go to www.dot.state.al.us and click on Safe Routes to School.  The application deadline is November 30, 2008. 

The Shelby County Arts Council is proud to begin a special project at the Shelby County Juvenile Detention Center in Columbiana this fall. With support of grants from CAWACO, Shelby County Commission and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, the Arts Council will be providing unique art programs including but not limited to: photography & Photoshop, drawing, mixed media, and ceramics to juveniles at the Detention center. The goal of this exciting program is to reach these children on a new level, building self-esteem, self-confidence, and the ability to work with others.

The Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) works to protect, restore, and enhance the nation's streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and bays. CWP's Technical Capacity Mini-Grant Program will provide support to small watershed organizations throughout the United States. The goal of the mini-grant program is to strengthen the technical capacity of these organizations in the areas of storm water and watershed management.

Up to ten grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 will be awarded. These grants may be in the form of direct assistance from CWP staff or cash awards. Requests may be submitted at any time, and decisions are made on a rolling basis. Visit the website listed below to download the RFP. Please direct questions about the Mini-Grant Program to Lisa Fraley- McNeal at lfm@cwp.org. (No phone calls please.) http://www.cwp.org/Calendar/CWPMinigrantsRFP.pdf

The 2nd annual Governor's Volunteer Leadership Conference December 2nd- 4th at the Historic Battle House Hotel, Mobile, AL. The conference will consist of keynote speakers and breakout sessions on topics ranging from volunteer management, disaster preparedness, community resiliency, fundraising and working with special needs populations. Please visit our website at www.ServeAlabama.gov to register today or call the GFBCI Office at 334-954-7440 if you have any questions.

Catch the spectacular display of lights at these 10 Alabama Tourism recommended Holiday Light Festivals:
 
Arab --  Christmas in the Park
For the 13th consecutive year, the City of Arab will offer a dazzling display of nearly 2 million holiday lights in the park. Enjoy live entertainment by local church groups and individuals, holiday music and special decorations in the Historic Complex, which features an old church, a school and an operational gristmill. 256.586.8128, www.arabcity.org. November 28-December 31, 2008
 
Bellingrath Gardens -- Mobile -- Magic of Christmas in Lights
Stroll through a wonderland of more than three million twinkling lights and 600 custom-designed holiday displays during Magic Christmas in Lights at Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile. Tour the historic Bellingrath Home decorated in its holiday finery, enjoy nightly entertainment and visit with Santa. 251.973.2217, www.bellingrath.org. November 28-December 31, 2008
 
Birmingham -- Lights Up at the Summit
The holiday season officially begins in Birmingham November 8 when more than one million lights come alive on the rooftops and Santa throws the switch at Saks Plaza to light the Christmas tree. Also enjoy a spectacular fireworks display and holiday music. 205.967.0111, www.thesummitonline.com/birmingham. November 8, 2008
 

Felder Rushing, nationally known author and radio/TV personality will be presenting two unique programs at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. On Friday, Nov. 7 from 6:30- 8:30 pm, Mr. Rushing will be presenting "Yard Art: The Good, The Bad, The Unbelievable" in Murray Hall. On Saturday, Nov. 8 at 10:00 a.m., the program will highlight "Slow Gardening" - a new, hot trend in gardening which promotes a slow, relaxed gardening experience. Seating is limited for both events and pre-registration is required. Events are priced separately. Garden members pay only $20.00 per program; non-members pay $25.00 per program.
 
Mr. Rushing is a well known author and host of the Mississippi Public Broadcasting's weekly program - the Gestalt Gardener. He has written or co-authored 15 gardening books, including the award-winning Pass along Plants and Gardening Southern Style. He has appeared on HGTV and the Discovery Channel, and his articles and photographs have been featured in dozens of regional magazines. Reservations may be made by contacting special events at the Garden at 256-430-3572 x 241, or email events@hsvbg.org.

UNA's Alabama Planning Institute will offer a workshop on "Meeting Management & Dispute Resolution" starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, 2008 at the Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission in Montgomery, Alabama.  Katherine Ennis, AICP, will be the instructor for the class.  Registration fees include a continental breakfast, refreshment breaks, lunch, course materials, and certificate of attendance.  Additional details are included in this email.  Register now by calling 256-765-4862 or 800-825-5862 ext. 4862.  You can also register online at www.una.edu/continuing-studies/ select Alabama Planning Institute tab) to reserve your space in this class.  

MEETING MANAGEMENT & DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Saturday, November 1, 2008 - 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
($169 per person; $159 per person when 3 or more register together)
Course No. 08-PZ304
0.6 CEUs
Location:  Central Alabama Regional Planning & Development Commission, Board Room, 430 South Court Street, Montgomery, AL 36104

What you will learn in this workshop: (1) You will get samples of effective commission and board by-laws, and also learn what they should minimally contain. Participants will learn appropriate rules of procedures, how to keep a meeting flowing and well-organized in a way that gives your meeting that "stamp of professionalism;" (2) You will learn some practical and proven means to manage meetings, how to defuse unruly or disruptive attendees, and how to best manage large crowds. You will also learn how to deal with the media on politically charges issues; (3) You will learn more about, and practice some of the latest techniques to resolve conflict amicably; (4) You will learn some simple and proven mediation techniques for dealing with contentious disputes - with developers and others.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Local Planning Commission Members, Board of Adjustment Members, Mayors, City Council Members, Zoning & Building Staff, City Clerks, County Commissioners, County Administrators, County Engineers, City & County Attorneys, Anyone involved with local growth issues!

DIRECTIONS:
From I-65, take exit 172 for Clay St. toward downtown.
Merge onto Dickerson St.
Turn left at Clayton St.
Turn right at S Court St. to 430 S Court St

Local Convention and Visitors Bureaus are invited to partner with the Alabama Tourism Department in attending travel shows during 2009. Upcoming partnership opportunities include the Cincinnati Travel, Sport & Boat Show on Jan. 16-25, the Indianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show on Feb. 20-March 1 and the Nashville Southern Women's Show on April 2-5. Please contact Lu Taylor at Lulu.Taylor@tourism.alabama.gov or 334-242-4492.

The Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) and local libraries across the state will celebrate Alabama Tourism's 2010 Year of Small Towns and Downtowns with a Big Read of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. "The announcement of the 2010 "Big Read" was made during the quarterly meeting of library administrators held in Montgomery on Oct.16 at the APLS building.
 
Alabama Tourism's Year of History Coordinator Marilyn Jones Stamps spoke to the group of approximately 200 and shared with them her enthusiasm about the Big Read tie-in.  She also used the opportunity to distribute the recently released "Historic Alabama" brochure, which, as she explained, is a part of the 2009 Year of Alabama History and a lead-in into the Small Towns/Downtowns celebration.  www.alabama.travel

From Black Belt Treasures: Join us in historic Camden, Alabama, as we showcase artists from the Black Belt region who stitch or weave their creative works, such as: Rennie Miller of the Freedom Quilting Bee, Deborah Carter, Dorothy Woods, Tinnie and Minnie Pettway of That's Sew Gee's Bend, representatives of the Gee's Bend Quiltmakers. The day's events will also feature story telling by Kathryn Tucker Windham and a concert by Alabama Blues musician, Willie King.

This event is being made possible by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts & the National Endowment for the Arts.

Saturday, November 8, 2008, 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Black Belt Treasures
209 Claiborne Street
Camden, Alabama

Plan to have lunch with us as we feature the debut of the Blue Spoon Cooking Company serving delicious barbecue sandwich plates for just $8.00 per plate.

For additional information please contact Black Belt Treasures at (334) 682-9878 or by email info@blackbelttreasure.com. The public is invited to participate in all the activities of the Stitches & Blues event free of charge. For information about the day's schedule of events visit the Upcoming Events page on the Black Belt Treasures website, www.blackbelttreasures.com .

The State of Alabama has been awarded $37,033,031 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under its new Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The NSP funds will be administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and are intended to acquire and redevelop foreclosed or abandoned properties.

NSP funding will be used to stabilize neighborhoods and must be targeted to the areas of greatest needs based on the extent of foreclosures, subprime mortgages and the likeliness to face a significant rise in the rate of home foreclosures. Eligible activities are:

• Establish financing mechanisms for purchase and redevelopment of foreclosed upon homes and residential properties
• Purchase and rehabilitate homes and residential properties that have been abandoned or foreclosed upon, in order to sell, rent, or redevelop such homes and properties
• Establish land banks for homes that have been foreclosed upon
• Demolish blighted structures
• Redevelop demolished or vacant properties

ADECA is hosting an informational session for interested parties in order to seek input on your needs as they relate to foreclosed or abandoned properties and suggestions on how you would like to address those needs. You are encouraged to attend this meeting:
 
Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Time: 10:30AM
Place: Department of Agriculture and Industries
The Richard Beard Building Auditorium
1445 Federal Drive, Montgomery, Alabama 36107
(See "Parking Information" below.)
 
Additional information may be obtained at www.hud.gov/nsp. ADECA will also conduct a public hearing at this same location on November 13, 2008, at 10:30AM.
We look forward to your input. You may provide your comments in person at the informational session and public hearing, by fax to 334-353-3527, or by e-mail to CED@adeca.alabama.gov.
 
Parking Information: Free parking will be available in the Coliseum parking lot on the north side of the Richard Beard Building (behind the chain link fence). Please do not block any equipment such as trailers that may need to be used at any time. Due to security in the Beard Building, enter the auditorium entrance located on the north side of the building (to the right of front main entrance). Do not enter at the front main entrance. Persons with disabilities or special needs who may require special materials, services, or assistance may contact Mr. Shabbir OIia at 334-242-5468 no later than October 24, 2008.

TIA is re-branding and trying to build a richer image library of the best of what travel has to offer. Share your highest quality license-free images relating to travel that are emotive and experiential. Images will be used in various forms, including on tia.org website, in printed materials, PowerPoint presentations, etc.

Please provide images in JPG format at 300 dpi via email, or on CD to Dennis Petroskey, Travel Industry Association, 1100 New York Avenue NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20005. Direct any questions to Dennis at (202) 408-2162, dpetroskey@tia.org.

he Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced the sixth National Scenic Byways Program nomination cycle. All nomination applications must be completed online at http://www.bywaysonline.org/nominations/application, and submitted both electronically and as a signed hard copy. The hard copy of the completed nomination and completion of the online nomination are due from the State, Indian tribe, or Federal land management agencies to the FHWA Division Offices by December 17, 2008.

Documents to help potential nominees prepare their nomination are available at http://www.bywaysonline.org/nominations. They include the Designation Readiness Worksheet, Image Style Guide, Nominations Guide, and other important documents, such as FHWA's Interim Policy for the National Scenic Byways Program. If you have questions about designation, please check the "Frequently Asked Questions about Designations" article at http://www.bywaysonline.org/nominations/articles/74891. If you cannot find your answer, send an email to cindi.ptak@dot.gov. These FAQs will be updated regularly.

Calling all ornithologists! What is an ornithologist you might inquire? You know, birders -- those folks who pass the time hunting, viewing and studying multi-hued winged creatures in their natural habitat through the eyes of a pair of hight-priced, German-engineered binoculars. This weekend is all about the birds at Fort Morgan Road and Bon Secour, two major sites along the expansive Alabama Coastal Birding Trail, which is 240 miles of trails. And if the birds' southern migration to warmer climes holds to its traditional schedule, this will be the optimal time to admire these exotic birds of paradise in our area.

Birding is considered eco-tourism -- a billion dollar industry in the tourism sector throughout the United States. Birding enthusiasts converging on the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast this month inject important dollars into the economy in an otherwise slow time for tourism.

According to the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau survey in 2002, 8 percent of tourists listed bird watching as their primary activity, and in 2006 that figure jumped to just fewer than 20 percent. Despite hurricanes and commercial swelling, that number continues to rise.

"The bird-watching periods are a catalyst of economic growth, driving in numerous tourists," said Joanne McDonough nature tourism specialist along the Alabama Gulf Coast. "The region brings in somewhere near $100 million dollars per year. The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail Web site has had a hit rate increase of 90 percent since 2002."

read the full story: The Penscola News Journal

Blogging is really taking off in Alabama. Here are several new--or new to me--blogs around Alabama. If you've got a favorite blog that you think might prove useful to Your Town Alabama alums and other readers of the Your Town Alabama blog, send them our way.

www.selmabutterflies.blogspot.com
http://selmaala.blogspot.com/
www.alabamafrontporches.com/blog/

An Alabama Prosperity Forum Course
November 5-6, 2008

The course is a two-day course offered by the Economic & Community Development Institute, a partnership of Auburn University and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Course will be held at the Alabama 4-H Center, Columbiana, AL. Learn more: www.auburn.edu/outreach/ecdi/green08.htm or call Allyson Martin at 334.844.3685.

http://www.yourtownalabama.org/calendar/ytacalendar.php

For those of you that read only the blog section of Your Town Alabama's website (by far the most frequently updated portion of the site, you may be missing something. Check out the calendar above for a listing of many events through 2009. Got an event you'd like listed in our calendar or something you think would be useful for readers of the blog, send it our way! info@yourtownalabama.org

An interactive map on the Alabama Tourism Department's website allows visitors to see the predicted fall color change for each weekend this fall. The map, a list of recommended viewing sites and a Circle of Color driving route are all available on the state tourism website at www.alabama.travel.
 
Alabama State Parks are some of the best places to enjoy the fall color change. Joe Wheeler has an excellent viewing spot next to the dam and near the cabin area on the Lawrence County side. Autumn scenery can be found at DeSoto State Park at Little River Canyon and DeSoto Falls. Monte Sano has views of the Tennessee Valley along the Warpath Ridge Trail and its overlook. Cheaha's Bald Rock and Pulpit Rock trails both have excellent views. Cheaha is the highest point in the state at 2,407 feet above sea level.
 
With cooler days and lower humidity, autumn is a wonderful time to enjoy Alabama's many fall festivals and events. Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department, recommends several events designed around being outdoors and enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
 
Outdoor events scheduled for this fall include:

• Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Northport on Oct. 18-19
• Governor's Mansion Autumn Garden Tour in Montgomery on Oct. 24-25
• Original German Sausage Festival in Elberta on Oct. 25
• Harvest Festival in Hoover on Oct. 25
• Alabama Renaissance Faire in Florence on Oct. 25-26
• National Peanut Festival in Dothan on Oct. 31-Nov. 8
• Alabama Frontier Days in Wetumpka on Nov. 5-8
• Cayne Syrup Makin' Day in Beatirce on Nov. 8
• Pioneer Day in Grove Hill on Nov. 8
• National Veterans Day Parade in Birmingham on Nov. 11

A complete list of fall events is available at www.alabama.travel.

With business signs, more is not necessarily better. Oversized signs and signage "clutter" can have a negative impact on how downtown and its businessesare perceived.

"It also becomes very expensive and cost-prohibitive, for the start-up business to have to pay $10,000 or $15,000 on a sign, just to get minimal recognition on the street," says Scott Day of Urban Development Services. Other common business signage problems are signs not properly positioned for the public to see them, and store windows that are jam-packed with signage.

"Too many signs say too many things," Day says. "It becomes visual white noise. People don't want to take the time to sort through it all. A lot of main street retail corridors suffer from information overload."

from: www.DowntownDevelopment.com/dpr.php

The Southeast Tourism Society (STS) will hold their 2009 conference at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. STS members represent state travel offices, attractions, tourism marketing firms, lodging, media, educational, travel writers, and other tourism related organizations.  The twelve member states in STS are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.  For more information on STS see www.southeasttourism.org   

From the article "Rib meat and greet at Alabama an absolute Dream" by Jack Wilkinson in USA TODAY:


USA TODAY is celebrating Octoberfeast by finding places where college football fans gather for good food and nostalgia. The first stop: Dreamland BBQ in Tuscaloosa, Ala. In 1958, within a week of each other, two larger-than-life-sized men who would become Alabama icons officially opened for business. The Bear and Big Daddy. On Sept. 27, 1958, Paul "Bear" Bryant's first Alabama team led LSU 3-0 at halftime before the eventual national champion rallied for a 13-3 win. Six days later, Oct. 3, John "Big Daddy" Bishop served his first slab of ribs at Dreamland BBQ.  Fifty years later, this remains the perfect union of pigskin and pork.
 
And it's arguably the best college football joint in the land. Indeed, doesn't every college town have one place where fans gather religiously for food and fellowship, football talk and adult beverages? Yet few, if any, can touch Dreamland. As golden jubilees go, Tuscaloosa is doubly blessed. This season is the 50th anniversary of Bryant's return to his alma mater. Friday marks the 50th anniversary of Dreamland. This makes Jeannette Bishop smile. "It's been a blessing. Fifty years and we're still here," said Bishop, the daughter of John and Lillie Bishop. "We must be doing something right, huh?"
 
TV broadcasters Brent Musburger and Keith Jackson extolled Dreamland on the air. Sportswriters did it in print. NFL coaches dropped in during the off season. Former 'Bama football greats did, too. Sit down and Joe Namath or Kenny Stabler might be beside you. Penn & Teller specifically requested Dreamland ribs before performing at the university. The Four Tops dropped in. Reba McEntire's entourage ordered several slabs for the tour bus. "Fifty years. Who would've ever thought?" Jeannette Bishop asked. "It's mind-boggling." http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/sec/2008-10-02-dreamland_N.htm
 
Dreamland BBQ is listed in the Alabama Tourism Department's "100 dishes to eat in Alabama before you die" brochure and was featured in the "Year of Alabama Food" television commercial.  http://www.800alabama.com/places-to-eat/alabama-restaurants/ 
 

2008 Annual Training Conference

Perdido Beach Resort,
Orange Beach, AL

In 2008, the Alabama Association of Regional Councils continues its commitment to bring about Regional Solutions for the 21st Century at their Annual Training Conference. This is just one of the ways AARC and its 12 Member Regions work to disseminate information and to generate innovative concepts for regional issues shared across the state.  The AARC Conference offers interesting and informative training sessions in seven different subject areas and four general sessions with keynote speakers.  To round out the training, AARC provides downtime for networking with peers on Monday and a banquet with entertainment on Tuesday followed by a dance. "So, come join us at the Beach!" Learn more: www.alarc.org

Celebrate the achievements of planning this October during National Community Planning Month. This year's theme is Green Communities.

Each year APA, its members, chapters, divisions, and professional institute sponsor National Community Planning Month to raise the visibility of the important role of planners and planning in communities across the U.S.

Help elevate the role of planning in your community. Host a planning department or planning commission open house, talk to kids in schools about a career in planning, present a library display about planning and planners, sponsor a neighborhood tour to highlight how planning helps the community.

http://www.planning.org/ncpm/

APA's flagship program celebrates places of exemplary character, quality, and planning. Places are selected annually and represent the gold standard in terms of having a true sense of place, cultural and historical interest, community involvement, and a vision for tomorrow.

APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live. They are enjoyable, safe, and desirable. They are places where people want to be -- not only to visit, but to live and work every day. America's truly great streets, neighborhoods and public spaces are defined by many criteria, including architectural features, accessibility, functionality, and community involvement.

http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/index.htm

America's first African-American military aviators will be honored this weekend with the grand opening of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site in Tuskegee. Federal and state officials and other dignitaries will pay tribute to the historic achievements and valor of the Tuskegee Airmen at the Grand Opening Ceremony on Friday at 1:30 pm. Many of the original Tuskegee Airmen are expected to attend. The ceremony at the site's famed Moton Field will kick off three days of special exhibitions and interpretive programs at the Site, and other events honoring the Tuskegee Airmen throughout the Alabama River Region.
 
The Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center will host an art exhibit entitled "Sentinels of the Sky" which will feature the Tuskegee Airmen from October 10 - December 31, 2008 in downtown Tuskegee. The exhibit's title "Sentinels of the Sky" is inspired by the role that many Tuskegee Airmen played as combat escort fighter pilots who protected U.S. bombers during their missions in World War II. The exhibit will focus on the activities, exploits and personalities of this legendary group of aviators. "The Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center is excited to present the works of some of the nation's premiere aviation artists. These individuals have focused on painstaking details to capture the history of the Tuskegee Airmen in an accurate and visually stunning manner," said Fred D. Gray, Center President and legendary Civil Rights attorney.
 
Lionel Richie will return home to perform during the Tuskegee Airmen Gala Reception and Banquet on Saturday at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in downtown Montgomery. Richie, a native of Tuskegee and graduate of Tuskegee University, is scheduled to return to the United States from a tour in the Middle East to perform for the Airmen during the Grand Opening weekend. The Gala, hosted by the Friends of the Tuskegee Airmen, will have a reception with seating for 1,200 people.
 
For a complete schedule of events for the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Grand Opening Celebration see http://www.nps.gov/tuai/historic-site-grand-opening-oct-10-to-12.htm

The official "Year of Alabama History" brochure was released this week by Governor Bob Riley to promote the state tourism campaign for 2009. The 94-page brochure, "Historic Alabama: A Guide to Landmarks and Events," gives readers insight into the history of some 163 towns and cities across the state and features more than 700 museums, events and historically significant sites, from north Alabama to the Gulf Coast. Old Alabama Town in Montgomery is featured on the front cover while the back cover depicts a scene from the "Miracle Worker" at Helen Keller's birthplace in Tuscumbia. It was written by Marilyn Jones Stamps and designed by Amy Shell, of the Alabama Tourism Department.
 
The publication features Civil War and Civil Rights sites, places of aviation and space exploration, a tapestry of past Native American civilizations and caves, and remnants of pioneer life in Old Alabama Town in Montgomery, the Pike Pioneer Museum in Troy and Huntsville's Constitution Village- the birthplace of Alabama. "Touring historic Alabama is guaranteed to be an educational and rewarding experience," said Governor Riley. "This brochure not only highlights the many sites and events that made our great state what it is today, but it also provides insight into the remarkable journey of famous Alabamians who impacted our nation such as Helen Keller, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and George Washington Carver," said Riley.
 
The Alabama Tourism Department, the Department of Archives and History, the Alabama Historical Commission, local convention and visitor bureaus, and museums and attractions around the state partnered to create and promote the "Year of Alabama History" to students, residents and tourists. "We are excited about the impact we believe this brochure will have on encouraging visitors to experience first-hand the things they read about in this publication," said Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell.
 
The tourism department will officially kick off the "Year of History" celebration on December 12 at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery to coincide with the 189th birthday celebration of Alabama's statehood. Alabama became the 22nd state admitted to the Union on December 14, 1819. Some 200,000 copies of "Historic Alabama" have been produced for distribution through the state's welcome centers, convention bureaus and tourism destinations. The "Year of Alabama History" is the sixth in a series of award-winning marketing campaigns designed to attract tourists to the state's destinations.  http://www.alabama.travel/about-alabama/news/press/story.cfm?ID=501

1. Surrounding Buildings Enhance Public Space

2. Limits are Placed on Residential Development
3. Activities go on Round-the-Clock and Throughout the Year
4. Flexible Design Fosters Adaptability
5. Creative Amenities Boost Everyone's Enjoyment

Read them all...

http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/Waterfronts_Placemaking/10_Qualities_of_a_Great_Waterfront

Alabama's Top 10 Events from the Alabama Tourism Department. Oh, and they missed at least one: Selma's Tale-Tellin' Festival on Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11 (and don't miss the River Market Day on the 11th).

Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention
Athens; Oct. 3-4
Music lovers and musicians from more than 30 states come together for one of the largest fiddlers convention in the nation. Competition in 18 categories, more than 150 booths, food, arts and crafts.

AMP Energy 500 Weekend at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega; Oct. 3-5
Weekend featuring the ARCA RE/MAX Series 250 race on Fri., Oct. 3, Mountain Dew 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Sat., Oct. 4 and AMP Energy 500, race four in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on Sun., Oct. 5.

BayFest Music Festival
Mobile; Oct. 3-5
An outdoor music festival in Alabama's historic Port City on Mobile Bay. More than 100 national, regional and local musical acts. Scheduled performers include Kid Rock, Nelly and Wynonna.

Alabama National Fair
Montgomery; Oct. 3-12
Midway rides, main stage entertainment, food, information and commercial booths, kids area, livestock and other competition, family faith day, etc.

National Shrimp Festival, 37th Annual
Gulf Shores; Oct. 9-12
Delicious food, fine arts and crafts, children's art village, live entertainment (local and national acts), sand sculpture contest, and more.

This handbook is designed for community groups and faith-based organizations seeking to maximize the skills of their volunteers, expand their services to the community, and enhance their effectiveness. Although the handbook focuses on prevention, treatment, and recovery services for substance abuse and mental illness, the principles described in the handbook can be applied to any field and should help organizations understand how to implement and manage a successful volunteer program. http://www.hhs.gov/fbci/publications.html