Last week was filled with area Christmas parades and communities all around us kicked off the Christmas season with excitement. I had the opportunity of driving Hannah Gentz, Miss Leeds Outstanding Teen and her Rising Star in the Leeds Christmas Parade in a 2017 Porsche convertible from Tom Williams. It was a beautiful car and the girls did a fabulous job wishing everyone a Merry Christmas as we toured the Parkway.

Plenty of cars were on display Saturday at the Driven with a Purpose 2.0 Charity Car, Truck & Bike Show. Even though a little chilly, it was a beautiful sunny day and everyone had a great time hanging out to raise money for a great cause. A total of $1,688 was raised in addition to 456 toys which will be donated to Toys for Tots. We would like to thank Jarrid Scroggins with the Central Alabama Mustang Society, Project Southeast and Unorthodox Creations Custom Car & Truck Club for putting on this event. We would also like to thank the City of Leeds, Leeds Commons Shopping Center, Right Stuff Bargain Center, Farmers Home Furniture, Sears Hometown Store, Workout Anytime, Daylight Donuts, Rusty’s Bar-B-Q for hosting the event and all of the sponsors, businesses and individuals who donated and participated to enable a lot of children to have the joy of Christmas morning.

Members of the Leeds River Campus spent time Saturday afternoon caroling. Their group visited a couple of local assisted living facilities and several Leeds area residents to spread Christmas cheer by singing a collection of Christmas Carols and giving out goodies. We were blessed beyond measure from the people we were able to visit.

On Sunday, 300 Pokémon players spent time in Leeds to catch Pokémon, shop at local businesses and battle for rights to change or keep the Leeds slogan as “City of Valor.” Mostly young singles and families spent three hours walking around downtown Leeds and eating at the Tropicaleo pop-up restaurant in the downtown gazebo. Businesses reported huge increases in sales and traffic. Team Valor fought hard to defeat Team Instinct and Team Mystic to keep Leeds’ slogan the same. Team Valor won out and everyone had a fantastic time. This event was hosted by the City of Leeds and Everyone Leeds. To see photos and more information about this event, please visit everyoneleeds.com/pokecon.

Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce will host their December Awards luncheon at 11:45 a.m. today, Dec. 15 at Leeds First United Methodist Church Family Life Center. Awards presented will include Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year, Non-Profit of the Year and Ambassador of the Year. Lunch is $12 with RSVP and $15 without.

Leeds Arts Council invites you to a “Christmas Gift” with storyteller Dolores Hydock and the music of Bobby Horton this Friday, Dec. 16. Musical master Bobby Horton brings songs of the season, while storyteller Dolores Hydock shares stories about special gifts, generous hearts and a textbook lesson in how to write the perfect thank-you note. Christmas snacks will be served from 6 – 7 p.m. Show will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and call (205) 699-1892 for reservations.

Leeds River Campus invites you to attend their Life Discovery Classes Christmas Party at 12:30 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 18. Bring a dish and a small gift if you would like to participate in Dirty Santa game (no more than $10 gift, please). This will be a great time of fun, food and fellowship. Eden Westside Baptist Church River Campus is located on Hwy 78 just passed the Shops of Grand River.

Leeds Jane Culbreth Library will host an Adult Coloring event at 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 19. Go be a kid again and enjoy this activity. The library will also host a Polar Express PJ Party from 5 – 7 p.m. the same day to watch Polar Express and eat yummy Christmas treats. Please call (205) 699-5962 or come by the library to sign-up as space is limited.

Leeds City Council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19 at Leeds Civic Center meeting room.

Moody Lions Club will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19 at White’s Chapel.

Moody Kiwanis Club is scheduled to meet at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at Moody City Hall.

Quote for the Week: “We are born equal with the opportunity to become unequal.”

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!