THE SHOALS LIFE: July 23 / Saturday, 8 a.m. / Handy Fest Da Doo Run Run

One of our favorite events of Handy Week begins early Saturday morning from the Handy museum on College Street near Coffee Hospital. It’s called the Da Do Run Run. It’s a 5K run (3.1 miles) from the Handy birthplace, it winds through the downtown, and along the scenic (and shaded!) historic neighborhoods near the University of North Alabama. The race goes right by our house on Wood Avenue as it turns back for the final mile-and-a-half to the finish. When my husband and sons aren’t in the race, we hand out water to the runners and set up a sprinkler for any who want to cool down under it. For kids of every age there’s a 1-mile fun run/walk afterward. For more information, contact race director Brad Lynch at (256) 324-1595. If you’re new to the Shoals area or soon to relocate, there is a thriving running community here. Check out the Tennessee River Athletic Club (TRAC) web site for all the upcoming races and how you can participate. www.shoalstrac.com

THE SHOALS LIFE: The W.C. Handy Fest in the Shoals…

July 22 to 30 every night is like a Saturday night in the Shoals—it’s “Handy Week!” The W.C. Handy Music Festival is an annual ten day series of events held throughout the Shoals (Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia). Live music can be found in restaurants, in park or street venues, and at churches who host artists during this unique week of music. Our area is popularly referred to as “The Shoals,” or Muscle Shoals, or “The Hit Recording Capitol of the World”. The Festival takes its name after William Christopher Handy, born in 1873 in Florence, Alabama. Handy became known as “Father of the Blues” and was the first to present that form to the world in sheet music. The family of Mr. Handy still operates Handy Brothers Music in New York. Some years the Handy family participates with us in the Festival. If you’re new to the Shoals, don’t miss out on the fun. Printed schedules for every day of the event are available through the Handy Fest headquarters at the corner of Wood and Tuscaloosa.

4th OF JULY IN THE SHOALS…The Spirit of Freedom Celebration

Held annually on July 4th at McFarland Park in Florence, thousands of people gather every year to enjoy live music from some of the biggest names in music, family fun, and an array of activities.

The Celebration concludes with an impressive fireworks show illuminating the beautiful Tennessee River, O’Neil Bridge, and McFarland Park below. The fireworks show is one of the largest in the Tennessee Valley—a splash of light over the Shoals!