Dona Bonnett. 

Leeds High School recently participated in the Alabama State FCCLA STAR events in Montgomery. Thirteen LHS students received top honors and an invitation to compete at the National STAR event competition in Nashville, TN July 1-6. The following students will be competing in their respective categories, along with about 6000 other young people from across the nation: Madisun Turner-Career Investigations, Jr.; Clayton Connell-Career Investigations, Sr.; Jamaria Harris & Melina Rose-National Programs in Action, Sr.; Lizbeth Villarreal & Dawson Anderson-Promote and Publicize, Sr.; Tyler Brown, Hiromi Takeda & Alex St. John-Entrepreneurship, Sr.; Rachel Goodwin & Bradley Gillespie-Food Innovations, Sr. and Lily Bartee & Jackson Brown-Interpersonal Communications, Sr. In other exciting news, Alabama FCCLA elected another LHS student to the 2017-2018 State Officers Council. Congratulations to Lily Bartee, who will become the seventh straight LHS student to be elected to the Alabama FCCLA Executive Council.

The Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce High School Diplomats toured St. Vincent’s East last week as part of their leadership program with the chamber. These students received a lot of good information about the medical field and several Diplomats now want to go into the medical profession.

There’s a lot going on in the Leeds/Moody area so be sure to mark these calendar items and plug in to what’s happening.

Saturday is the Leeds Masonic Lodge Community Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Breakfast is free, but donations would be appreciated. All donations stay in the City of Leeds community involvement programs. Contact T. V. Weaver for more information at (205) 699-6742.

City of Moody’s Relay for Life Team will be painting the town Purple starting Saturday with $15 for residential bows and $25 for business bows. Call (205) 640-0307 to purchase. This is a great way to show your support and help raise money for Relay for Life of Greater St. Clair County.

Deborah and Sam Pezzillo are the Leeds Arts Council’s featured artists in Apr. Please join them for the opening reception Sunday from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at Leeds Theatre & Arts Center to view their beautiful photographs. Admission is free. Since moving to Leeds in 1995, Deborah has enjoyed taking photographs of the wildlife, both plants and animals, on her farm. Her photos have been published in the October 2014 issue of the National Wildlife Federation magazine and were recently shown at the Flight and Flutter Fest at Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve. Her photo of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Purple Coneflower can be viewed on Al.com. She has also published a book of her nature photos with favorite quotes titled, Ambassadors of Life. It will be on sale along with framed photos and photos on canvas. Sam has had a life-long interest in photography and once taught it in a January term at Birmingham-Southern College, from which he retired in 2010. He has not intentionally limited his subject matter, but an additional interest in world-wide travel and his academic specialty in the classical world have allowed him to concentrate on architectural and monumental subjects. The Pezzillos’ photographs will be on exhibit through May 5.

Leeds City Council will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Apr. 3 at Leeds Civic Center Meeting Room.

The Moody Kid Quilts Group are scheduled to meet on Monday and Tuesday at Moody City Hall. This group meets the first Monday and Tuesday of each month to make kid quilts for Children’s Hospital to distribute to sick children. They have also made quilts in the past for local veterans. These members bring their sewing machines, ironing boards, fabric and supplies to make these beautiful quilts together. For more information about this wonderful organization or if you are interested in participating, please contact Clydene Dyer at (205) 515-4751 or Barbara Willingham at (205) 400-4560.

Moody Lions Club will meet at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Apr. 3 at White’s Chapel.

The 10th Annual LadyBUGS Fashion Show is scheduled for Noon on Tuesday, Apr. 4 at Cedar Grove Baptist Church. Tickets are $25 each and proceeds go to provide scholarships for four deserving Leeds/Moody high school students. We expect a sell-out crowd with over 200 ladies, but there may be a few tickets left so please contact Sandra McGuire at (205) 699-5001 or any LadyBUGS member.

Moody Kiwanis Club will meet at noon on Tuesday at Moody City Hall.

Leeds Lions Club is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. on April 6 at the Leeds Masonic Lodge building.

Front Porch Friends will host a Coral Show at The Livery Event enter on April 9 from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Multiple vendors plus raffles and door prizes. Free admission and free parking.

The Leeds River Campus offers a new English Second Language Life Discovery Class each Sunday morning at 9:35 a.m. for individuals or couples who speak Spanish, are learning English and would like to know more about the Bible. Leeds River Campus is located on Hwy. 78 just past the Shops of Grand River at 1441 W. Riverview Road, Trussville. For more information, please visit their website at www.EdenWestside.org or call their office at (205) 338.7711.

El Campus de Edén Westside Baptist Church del Leeds River ofrece una nueva Clase de Descubrimiento de Vida de Segunda Lengua Inglesa cada domingo a las 9:35 a.m. para individuos o parejas que hablan español, están aprendiendo inglés y quisieran saber más sobre la Biblia. Leeds River Campus se encuentra en la autopista. 78 justo después de las tiendas de Grand River en 1441 W. Riverview Road, Trussville. Para obtener más información, visite su sitio web en www.EdenWestside.org o llame a su oficina al (205) 338.7711.

Easter is right around the corner on Sunday, April 16. If you are a member of a Leeds or Moody church and have special Easter programs, services or children’s events, please send me that information so I can mention your event(s) in this weekly news article to help you get the word out.

Job Openings: Zaxby’s Moody is now hiring smiling faces (cashiers and cooks for all shifts).

Quote for the Week: “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” ~Will Rogers

I truly appreciate each of you who read my column and I really love sharing news so please remember to send your Leeds and Moody news to me at leedsmoodynews@gmail.com. See you next week!