Miss Leeds Area Charity Bowden, Miss Leeds Area’s Outstanding Teen Emma Terry and Donna Coates, LadyBUGS President, Photo Courtesy of Sandra McGuire

Frozen Rooster is now open! This new restaurant opened on Saturday with a big grand opening in the Outlet Shops of Grand River located in the food court. The City of Leeds and the Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon on Monday morning. Frozen Rooster is not a chain, but a locally owned business by owner/operator, Mimi Leonard. Mimi has worked in one of the local retailers for seven years and wanted to bring food items to the mall that were missing.

“Prior to her store opening, there was no place to get ice cream so she and my family decided to open the Frozen Rooster and bring some of the missing items to the food court,” said Mimi.

Her restaurant provides ice cream, cookies, wings and much more. They offer hot wings in several different flavors and even created funnel cakes last weekend. Mimi’s son came up with the name, Frozen Rooster, and she is very excited about family involvement in her new endeavor. She is also very happy with her new staff. You will definitely want to check out everything they have to offer and help support this brand-new business.

Miss Leeds Area Charity Bowden, Miss Leeds Area’s Outstanding Teen Emma Terry and Donna Coates, LadyBUGS President, spoke at the July LadyBUGS luncheon. This organization is the Leeds/Moody Professional Women’s organization that raises scholarship money for outstanding girls in Leeds and Moody. LadyBUGS is an acronym which stands for “Believing, Understanding, Guiding & Serving”. This group meets on the second Tuesday of each month at The Livery Event Center.

July is National Anti-Boredom Month. During this month, we are encouraged to identify the causes of our boredom and seek ways to combat it. When dealing with boredom, you must identify your symptoms and discover why you are bored. Usually, we think boredom comes from having nothing to do, but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes, we have plenty to do, but those things don’t stimulate us so we become irritable, tired and unhappy.

It’s important to find creative, healthy ways to fight boredom. Seeking the wrong kind of stimulation to alleviate boredom can lead to depression, addictions and bad habits. Once we’ve identified the cause of our boredom, we can decide how to beat it. Some good ways to combat boredom are to play board games or even video games. Both can get you involved with other people and help stimulate your mind. Getting some physical activity into the mix can also help. Go for a walk or run and take in the scenery. Learning new things can alleviate boredom as well. Take a class on a subject that interests you or visit an art museum. Getting creative can help, too. Learn a new craft of participate in an old one. Draw, paint, sew, build.

The best way to fight boredom is to stop focusing on yourself and focus on others. Do something kind for someone else. Get out of the house, find a place to serve. Volunteer on a team or organization that is doing good. There are plenty of places right here in Leeds and Moody to plug in. If you don’t know where to start, then visit www. EveryoneLeeds.com and you can check out the non-profit organizations listed that could use a little help. Your local church is another great place to plug in and find a place to serve. When you begin to do something good for someone else, you will begin feeling good about yourself. This is a great way to find your purpose in life. Your pride in yourself will grow and your boredom will diminish. In short, do something different and focus less on yourself and more on others!

Leeds Jane Culbreth Library will host the event Storytime at Green Up Garden Shop on July 27 at 10 a.m. Ms. Ginny will present a special Storytime. For more information about his and other library events, visit their Facebook page or call 205-699.5962.

Moody Civic Center will host a Book Cam Class on Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. The next class will take place on July 27 instructed by Lori Franklin. For more information, call 205-640-0321 and visit www. MoodyCivicCenter.com.

The Leeds Arts Council is continuing its presentation of “Esther” through July 28. Esther is a fresh and exciting musical based on the story of an orphaned Jewish girl who becomes Queen of Persia. For reservations, call 205-699-1892 or email leedsartscouncilal@gmail.com.

As part of the Alabama Bicentennial celebration, the city of Leeds will host the Leeds Fall Festival & John Henry Celebration on Saturday Sept. 21. There will be two public performances of a one-act play based on the legend of John Henry, a steel-driving man. No one knows where (or if) this story took place, but Leeds, Alabama lays claim to the possibility that it could have happened here. Marie Cromer wrote the play, and we need you to come audition for this show! Suellen Wilkins is the director for two free public performances on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. and 2cp.m. in the Leeds Theater and Arts Center. The cast includes 15 African-Americans and 10 Caucasians, all ages, both male and female. There is a young John Henry, as well as an adult John Henry. Auditions are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday night, July 29-30, 7 p.m. each evening at the arts center. You only need to come one night, not both. Come prepared to read from the script. For more information, please visit www.leedsartscouncil.org.

The City of Leeds and the Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce will conduct a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1 at Southeastern Equipment Rentals located at 9014 Weaver Avenue NE, Leeds. Come out and join the excitement.

Don’t miss Leeds Downtown First Thursday Street Fest next Thursday, Aug. 1 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. It’s going to be a great afternoon of awesome entertainment on the Parkway. Cody Howell, Paul Sisson and Mandi Rae, local singers and songwriters, will be on the gazebo stage. The car cruise-in will include the Porsche Club sponsored by Eurasian Auto Services including a number of vintage cars. Plan to bring your family and enjoy street vendors, food trucks, entertainers, car cruise-in, downtown shopping on the Parkway and more. This is a free event so don’t miss it and bring your lawn chairs to stay a while! For info, visit www. LeedsAreaChamber.com.

The Leeds Lions Club will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Leeds Masonic Lodge building. Contact T. V. Weaver at 205-699-6742 for information.

Leeds Masonic Lodge Community Breakfast is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 3. Breakfast is free, but donations are appreciated. All donations stay in the City of Leeds community involvement programs. For information, please call T. V. Weaver at 205-699-6742.

Thought for the week: Fight boredom, find your purpose and serve others!

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.