Taste of the Fair is coming to Leeds! Bring your family to downtown Leeds across from Lehigh and Windstream to enjoy carnival food truck festivities eleven days straight beginning today, May 21 through May 31. Even though fairs and festivals are on hold until the pandemic is under control, your favorite fair food is calling. This is a great opportunity to spend some time outdoors in downtown Leeds while enjoying some great carnival food to go. Food items will include: Funnel cakes, corn dogs, fried snickers, fried Oreo, fresh squeezed lemonade, Polish sausage, Italian sausage, Philly cheese steak, smothered hot dog, loaded French fries, bloomin’ onions, soda, chicken tender basket, cotton candy, pretzels, caramel apples, candy apples, popcorn, snow cones and nachos. I’m already hungry just listening to this menu! Please remember to follow all social distancing guidelines and no carnival rides or games will be available during these weeks due to COVID-19 guidelines. For more information, please contact Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce at 205-699-5001 or LeedsAreaChamber.com.

Many of the local restaurants have continued to serve take-out and curbside throughout the recent COVID-19 state regulations and guidelines. Last week, we saw how eager everyone is to get out of the house and a meal actually inside a local restaurant. Christine Leonardi and the Three Earred Rabbit in Leeds was one of those establishments who welcomed everyone in with limited seating and social distancing. Visitors satisfied their taste buds with homemade soups, deli-style grilled sandwiches, salads and yummy baked goods. All of their meat and cheeses are made with Boars Head products and their soups and salads are made from scratch. Street parking was packed with hardly any open spaces which was a welcome sign to restaurant owners and retailers.

Laney’s Country Cooking also opened their dining room last week and so did Bluegrass Barbeque. Old Smokey, Rusty’s Bar-B-Que and China Wok have reopened, but are serving through take-out, curbside or drive through. Each local restaurant appreciates your patronage as we all work together to get through this economic and health crisis.

Other signs that things are beginning to move toward reopening are that local high school graduation ceremonies are being scheduled. Leeds High School’s graduation will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 28 at LHS Football Stadium. Event guidelines: 10 tickets per graduate. Seating will be marked off and only people from same household can sit together. Graduates will be seated on field six feet apart.

Moody High School’s main graduation is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. tonight, May 21 at MHS Football Stadium. Guidelines include that each graduate can only have six people attending. MHS held an individual graduation ceremony this past Tuesday where each graduate could bring as many people as they desired since the COVID-19 guidelines have changed.

Moody City Council meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Monday, May 25 at Moody City Hall.

MainStreet Family Care & KidsStreet Urgent Care are now participating in the HHS Uninsured Patient Program which will provide reimbursement to them as a healthcare provider when they provide COVID-19 testing for uninsured patients. This means that uninsured patients can come to their clinic any time and receive a COVID-19 viral swab test without any cost to them. For more information, please visit their website at www.mainstreetfamilycare.com.

Thought for the Week: A life lived in fear is a life half lived. ~Baz Luhrmann

I thoroughly enjoy sharing information, news and calendar items with you each week and I thank you for reading my column. Please send any news to me at leedsmoodynews@gmail.com and have a great week!