9th Street was lined up with special cars and trucks with the Mountain Brook Driving Club, the Jeep Club and many individuals who brought out their vehicles. Photo by Dona Bonnett

Leeds Downtown First Thursday was a huge success! The weather couldn’t have been better. Families came out to enjoy the evening with the great entertainment lineup with Mandi Rae, Eric Watters and Miss Leeds Area Charity Bowden. Parkway was lined with street vendors and food trucks. Three-Earred Rabbit had a booth outside their restaurant and gave out samples. Their chicken salad is to die for so I just had to stop in to grab some dinner while working the event. 9th Street was lined up with special cars and trucks with the Mountain Brook Driving Club, the Jeep Club and many individuals who brought out their vehicles. Kids lined the street in front of the library playing street games and getting their special balloon from the balloon man. Last week marked the last event of this kind for this year; although, Leeds has many other events scheduled for September and October. Many of these events are completely free and we need your help in getting the word out about them. For a complete calendar lineup, please visit www.LeedsAreaChamber.com or www.EveryoneLeeds.com. Also, Like, Comment and Share the events on Facebook and other social media. With your help, we can continue to grow the attendance to these awesome events.

September is Self-Improvement Month so it’s time to do a little work on ourselves. It’s a good time to set new goals to help you onto the path of making a better you. It’s also an opportunity to learn to take better care of yourself, so how do you do that? The first step is to assess how satisfied we are with ourselves. Are you happy with how you interact with others? Do you think your work methods need improvement? Are you satisfied with your relationships with friends and family? Think on those things and then decide what you can do to improve. We can all use a little improvement, because none of us are what you would call perfect.

Once you’ve decided on the area of your life that needs improvement, do something positive about it. Do you want to improve your health? Start eating healthier, make better food choices and get active, as much as you can. Feel like you need more purpose in life? Try volunteering at a nursing home, soup kitchen and your local church. Lend a kind word to everyone you meet. Everyone can use a little encouragement and it costs nothing, but a little effort can make a world of difference in someone else’s life. Helping others will give you a sense of purpose. You might even find your God-given purpose for being on this earth. For other areas of your life that you would like to improve, there are scores of books written on the subject. Check some out at the local library and take a step towards making yourself the best you can be. You’ll be surprised at how much better you will feel about yourself if you take advantage of Self-Improvement Month!

The Step into Fashion Leeds Arts Council fashion show luncheon is Sept. 12 at 11:30 a.m. This is an annual fundraiser that is sure to please and tickets are $25. Lunch is included.

Moody Area Chamber of Commerce will host their monthly chamber luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 12 at Moody City Hall. Shawn Lovejoy with Courage to Lead will be the guest speaker. Lunch is $12 for members with reservation and $15 for non-members and no reservation. RSVP to Andrea Machen at 205-640-6262.

The Alzheimer’s Dementia Support Group will meet at 6:30 p.m. tonight, Sept. 12 at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany. For more information, please contact Bit Thomaston with Lakeside Hospice at 205-884-1111.

Leeds Jane Culbreth Library will host the AL 200: MLK’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail on Monday, Sept. 16 at 12 p.m. Make plans to attend to learn more about the civil rights movement and the actions of Martin Luther King that changed the world forever. Robert Schaefer, Ph.D., a professor of political science at the University of West Georgia, will do the presentation.

The Leeds City Council Meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Leeds Civic Center meeting Room.

Moody Lions Club will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16 at White’s Chapel.

Moody Kiwanis Club will meet at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at Moody City Hall.

The Springview Homeowner’s Association will meet at 7 p.m. at Moody City Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Just a reminder: Ann’s New Life Center annual fundraising event is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at St. Theresa Catholic Church. This wonderful non-profit is doing such a great job in our community. The event is free and plans include an evening of fun, fellowship, amazing food and an update on all that’s happening at the Center. RSVP to leeds@annsnewlifecenter.com or call 205-702-6500.

The Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce will host their luncheon on Thursday Sept. 19 at 11:45 a.m. This month’s luncheon will be held at Wintzell’s. Lunch is $12 with RSVP and $15 without a reservation. RSVP to Sandra McGuire, Executive Director, at 205-699-5001 or Sandra@LeedsAreaChamber.com. Guest speaker will be Leeds City Schools Superintendent John Moore. This is a great opportunity to have lunch together at Wintzell’s and hear what’s new with our Leeds City Schools.

The Miss Teen USA Send-Off Party is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19 Moody Civic Center. Join them for refreshments and fun as everyone wishes Josilyn good luck as she prepares to compete as “Miss Teen Moody” in the 2020 Miss Alabama Teen USA Pageant.

The next performance of the Seasoned Performers will be at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, at Moody Civic Center sponsored by the Doris Stanley Memorial Library. The show is titled, “Galleria Girls at the AARP Convention.” There is no charge to attend this event.

The John Henry Celebration & Leeds Fall Festival is only a few days away and scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. This event will be held in historic downtown Leeds with an exciting day scheduled. Information about festival details, activities and schedules, sponsorships, vendor space and more details are available at www.LeedsJohnHenryCelebration.org.

Deadline is approaching to register for Hold the Fort 5k Run/Walk, which is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21 in conjunction with Leeds Fall Festival & John Henry Celebration to benefit Blanket Fort Hope. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2Z0E3n1.

Thought for the week: “When you see something beautiful in someone, tell them. It may only take a second to say, but for them, it could last a lifetime.”

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