The 10th Annual LadyBUGS Fashion Show had a sold-out crowd last week, with approximately 210 ladies attending. Among them, Mrs. June Ash attended with her daughter, Ellen. 

Mrs. Ash was actually the first Miss Leeder in the history of Leeds, serving 1945-46. Briana Kinsey, the current Miss Leeds Area, had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Ash at the end of the program. 

This annual fashion show is the main fundraiser for the Leeds/Moody LadyBUGS Professional Women’s Organization to provide four scholarships for Leeds and Moody High School deserving young ladies. LadyBUGS stands for Ladies Believing Understanding Guiding and Serving, and these ladies meet monthly for lunch at The Livery in Leeds on the second Tuesday of each month at Noon. For more information about LadyBUGS and to see photos from the fashion show, please visit their Facebook Page: Leeds/Moody LadyBUGS.

We had a great time and the weather could not have been better for the 6th Annual Moody Masters Golf Tournament at Trussville Country Club last week. Congratulations to Windstream, winners of the tournament! Photo gallery is now on the Moody Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

High School Diplomat graduating seniors were recognized at the Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon last Thursday. Interviews for next year’s Chamber Diplomats will be held next week.

We would like to congratulate our Moody girls who are participating in the Distinguished Young Women of St. Clair County Class of 2017: Amanda Carpenter, Kelsi Mills, Kaleigh Parker, Madison Snyder and Rachel Watts, all from Moody High School, and Eden Walker from Crossroads Christian School. Six out of the 10 total participants are from Moody. These young ladies will be competing for scholarship dollars. 

Donations are the only source of scholarship funding for this program. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Carol Hornsby at (205) 515-5544.

The $6.5 million dollar Moody Civic Center is over 50 percent complete, and appointment times are now being set for photos and site tours. Their plan was to hold a “hard-hat media tour” and include all media, but with the many contractors on site they felt it would be better to offer individual invitations at your convenience. 

For those interested in setting up a time to tour the Moody Civic Center construction site or to get more information on this project, please contact: Kim Bridges, Director Moody Civic Center by email: kbridges@moodyalabama.gov or phone at (office) (205) 640-0321 or (cell) (615) 957-3552.

Volunteer Drivers are needed for Moody Meals on Wheels. If you would like to participate in this volunteer program, please contact Moody Senior Center at (205) 640-2536.

You are invited to the Leeds Arts Council’s Opening Reception this Sunday, May 1 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. for James Knowles, featured artist during May, to view his beautiful paintings. Admission is free. James is an artist and art educator from Trussville, Alabama. Art has always been an important part of his life. His parents say that as soon as he could walk, he began drawing on the walls. James has been making and exhibiting art ever since and has been an art educator for over 30 years. Mr. Knowles’ work will be on exhibit through June 2 at the Leeds Theatre and Arts Center. The gallery is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and during events.

Teacher of the Year nominations are currently being accepted by the Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce. This award is sponsored by Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood and will be presented at the May Chamber luncheon. Nominations will be accepted until May 1.

Leeds City Council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 2 at Leeds Civic Center Meeting Room.

Moody Lions Club will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 2.

Leeds Arts Council celebrates the 60th anniversary of the groundbreaking show Oklahoma. Auditions are scheduled for Monday, May 2 and Tuesday, May 3 from 7-9 p.m. Show dates are in July. For auditions, please prepare 16 bars of a musical theatre song and be prepared to read from the script.

The Moody Area Chamber of Commerce Corporate Liaison meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 3 at Moody City Hall. If you are a business professional in the greater Moody area and would like more business exposure, please bring business cards and plan to attend this meeting.

Moody Kiwanis will meet at noon on Tuesday, May 3 at Moody City Hall.

Leeds Redevelopment Authority is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3 at Leeds Civic Center Meeting Room.

Join Coffee Cup Connection – for Ladies Only at 8:30 a.m. each Thursday morning in April and May at Eden Westside Baptist Church River Campus in Leeds on Hwy. 78, just past the Shops of Grand River. Enjoy a great time of coffee, fellowship and Bible study on the topic of spirituality and ‘My Relationship with God.” Please contact Dona Bonnett at (256) 345-3993 for more information.

Leeds Lions Club will meet at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 5 in the Leeds Masonic Lodge building. Please contact T. V. Weaver, President, at (205) 699-6742 for more information.

Leeds Library Science Fiction Book Club will kick off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 5 in the library’s meeting room. At this inaugural meeting, they will discuss what they would like to do to make the club both fun and worthwhile for the local science fiction community. So come, bring your friends and suggestions for future reading. If inclined, bring some appropriate-for-all-ages refreshments to share. Most of all, bring that sense of wonder that makes science fiction so wonderful!

Relay for Life teams will “Paint the Town Purple” April 16–May 21. To show your support of the fight against cancer, you can help “Paint the Town Purple” by donating to the Relay for Life of Greater St. Clair County and receive a decorative purple bow to display inside or outside your home or business. Business bows are $25 and residential bows are $15. This is a great way to show community support for the Relay for Life event, scheduled for May 21 at Moody City Park. To order your bow, please contact Melissa Fraser at (205) 640-0307 or mfraser@moodyalabama.gov. All proceeds will support the American Cancer Society.

Quote for the Week: “Be an encourager. The world has plenty of critics already.” ~ Unknown

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.