Category: Community Feature

With the Independence Day holiday stretching over a full week this year, the number of family-friendly events and activities is large in the region through the coming weekend.

Before we even get to the weekend, the Talladega County Health Department opens the doors of their Sylacauga clinic on Elm Street for compehensive eye examinations. But, you will need to quickly reserve your spot by calling (256) 569-8134.

Also on Thursday, the Parks & Recreation Department presents Storytime with Friends in Sylacauga’s Noble Park at 10:00 a.m.

Friday will be a busy day in Sylacauga’s Central Park with the Sylacauga Farmers Market from 7:00 a.m. to 12 Noon. Star Spangled Sylacauga takes over the park at 5:00 p.m., culminating with a bigger than ever fireworks show after dark, with all sorts of fun activities in between.

The Rainwater Library holds a come-and-go event from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to honor retiring Library Director Susan Carpenter.

In Sylacauga, American Legion Post #45 hosts an Indoor Yard Sale on Friday & Saturday at the old National Guard Armory.

Neighboring Shelby County has several holiday celebrations. In Columbiana, it’s the two-day Liberty Day Celebration downtown Friday and Saturday. Thompson High School hosts Alabaster’s community fireworks show Saturday evening. The annual Big Kaboom highlights ChelseaFest 2025, also Saturday night.

Childersburg First Baptist hosts a Weekend of Worship event with two days of Gospel Music, Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and even more Sunday morning at 10:30. Also in Childersburg, Kymulga Grist Mill Park hosts the Small Town Jam with four musical acts performing from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

If you have even a passing interest in aviation, you’ll want to take the family to Lee Merkel Field in Sylacauga for the annual Aviation Day with pilots galore, showing off their planes, gliders, helicopters and more, sponsored by the AERO Missions cadets before they travel the world.

The inal day in a series of Talladega County Commission Clean-up Days with containers adjacent to Walco Handi-Mart on Alabama Avenue, to serve clean-up efforts throughout the Sylacauga area from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The annual “Sylacauga Aviation Day,” hosted by AERO Missions, is looking for another a big crowd to Lee Merkel Field on Saturday, June 26. There will be airplanes, gliders, and helicopters on display with several dozen pilots on hand to answer questions.

“We’re kind of blown away with the reception we received from the public last year, in spite of a bit of rain” said AERO Missions Director John Stanczak. “This what we want, to have people experience the world of aviation first-hand. We have a great group of interns in town from all over the country, and this a big part of why they are here, to learn how to use their love of flying in their coming mission work – an opportunity for them and for the public.”

AERO Missions is itself a ministry of equipping, enabling, and assisting missionaries worldwide.

“It’s in our name – AERO, which stands for Aviator Evangelists Reaching Others,” Stanczak noted.

Aviation Day is a fun and exciting day for the whole family with plenty to see and do, as well as many pilots who want to meet you on Saturday, June 28th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to experience the world of aviation firsthand. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome. There will be food trucks on site and kids’ activities available, so come make a day of it.

There’s a day full of activities coming to Sylacauga’s American Legion Post #45 to celebrate Flag Day 2025 on Saturday, June 14th at 8 South Hammett Avenue.

The family fun gets started early as they open the doors on the Armory at 7:00 a.m. for the monthly Legion Flea Market that lasts until 3:00 in the afternoon.

The Legion will also host a no-entry-fee car show, starting at 8:00 a.m. and lasting all day.

At 5:00 p.m. they will hold a touching flag retirement ceremony on the lodge grounds. You can drop off worn and damaged flags for retirement at the American Legion Building and/or Radney-Smith Funeral Home on Elm Street.

A great crowd gathered for cool treats on a hot day, as Pelican’s SnoBalls held a Chamber ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new location on West Fort Williams Street.

Owner Andy Cox said that he’s been looking to buy a building for his operation for quite a while, “It’s like everything came together for us at the first of the year to buy this building and renovate it to suit our needs, and one of the most popular additions is our drive-thru window service.”

Cox was a 26-year veteran at WalMart before striking out on his own with a Pelican’s franchise. He says it was a learning experience, “Naturally, this is a peak time of year for what we do, but it’s our customers that tell us whether we stay open during winter months. We were busy when we opened this location in February, so we’re hopeful that will translate into solid year round business. The drive thru certainly helped earlier in the year.”

Andy told us that his most popular flavors are divide between sweet and sour, “Blue Raspberry is our best sweet seller, and our customers love our Sour Tsunami, just as much as a tart treat.”

Childersburg’s Life Celebrations Event Center hosted the June Coffee gathering from the Greater Coosa Valley Chamber of Commerce this week, showing off the location that is available to host events from family reunions to showers and weddings in the Piggy Wiggly Shopping Center.

Vanessa Owens has served as a professional event planner for over 30-years, “Helping friends and family create memory-making moments has been my passion for decades. It’s my calling, and besides my husband, Rickey Owens, I’ve called on network of talented friends to bring occasions together.”

One of those friends is Sabrina McCain, whose Elite Catering put together a delightful menu for the Chamber Coffee. Her specialty is Southern Soul Food, “But I’ve handled all sorts of menus over the years, from small family affairs to gatherings for hundreds of guests, from simple to elegant.”

The Owens and friends will be hosting their own event – their anniversary celebration for the Life Celebrations Event Center on the evening of July 5th, with live music and other entertainment on the event center stage, along with a wide variety of food and drinks. The doors will open at 7:00 p.m. with the show starting at 8:00.

“We have a great evening of fun planned, that won’t be complete without you! Feel free to call us at (800) 657-7611 to make reservations for July 5th, or to arrange to host your own special life celebration.”