LawLers Hwy 72 Wins North Alabama Regional BBQ Sauce Contest

For Further Information
Jeanette Jones

jeanette@visitathensal.com

For immediate release
May 23, 2013
www.visitathensal.com

LawLers Hwy 72 Wins North Alabama Regional BBQ Sauce Contest

Athens, AL - LawLers Hwy 72 store Athens did not win the state championship but they were chosen as the North Alabama regional winner by judges Bobby Shuttleworth of WAFF-48, Evan Carden of Decatur Life magazine and Melinda Dunn of the Decatur/Morgan Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Decatur/Morgan County Farmer’s Market was the host site for the regional contest.

“We are so proud of LawLers and appreciate their participation in the BBQ sauce contest”, said Jeanette Jones, Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association Co-President.  “We worked really hard getting the word out to our BBQ restaurants to enter the competition.  There will be more contests during the Year of Alabama Food.  We hope other restaurants participate in upcoming contest.”

BBQ sauce championship generates wide press coverage.  Celebrity judges picked the sauce from Phil’s barbecue restaurant in Eufaula as the state “BBQ Sauce-Off

The Central Alabama regional winner was Costas from Birmingham.   Phil’s BBQ from Eufaula was chosen as the Southern Alabama regional winner.

“The Alabama Tourism Department designed the BBQ Sauce-Off as a way of promoting the state’s barbecue restaurants and independent sauce producers,” said contest coordinator Brian Jones. “The regional contests got great coverage and our championship in Birmingham was covered by channel 48 in Huntsville, channel 6 in Birmingham, channel 12 in Montgomery and AL.com. It was also featured in USA TODAY, on public radio and was picked up by the Associated Press,” he said.

Thirty-four sauces were gathered from restaurants and grocery stores across the state for the BBQ Sauce-Off.  Sauces in the contest included: Bailey’s, Baumhower’s, Berdeaux’s, BBQ Shack, Big Bob Gibson, Bishop’s, Bob Sykes, Bryant, Carlile’s, Costas, Crusty Butts & Bones, Dale’s BBQ, Demetri’s, Dreamland, Fat Boy’s, Full Moon, Golden Rule, Jim ‘N Nick’s, Johnny’s BBQ, LawLers, Mike & Ed’s, Mike Elliott’s, Moon Hollow, Noodie’s, Ollie’s, Perfect Bite BBQ, Phil’s, Rob’s, Saban Sauce, Saw’s, Saucy Q, Slaphappy BBQ, Thomas Rib Shack and Viper.  Learn more about Alabama food products, chefs, culinary destinations and events at Facebook.com/AlabamaFood and at www.yearofalabamafood.com.

The sign up process is now open for restaurants to become a part of Alabama Restaurant Week. The process is quick and easy. Any Alabama restaurant that qualifies (and most quality if they are not part of a national chain) only has to entry their basic information at this time.  You have until July 15 to enter your exact fix-priced meal offering Sign up at www.alabamarestaurantweek.com.  See the ABOUT section for a summary of the rules of the promotion.

Alabama Restaurant Week is an August 16-August 25, 2013 promotion and is part of the Year of Alabama Food state tourism campaign.  For more on Year of Alabama Food, contact Brian Jones Brian.jones@tourism.alabama.gov.   For more on Alabama Restaurant Week, contact Grey Brennan grey.brennan@tourism.alabama.gov.

For information and assistance in entering your restaurant, call the Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association office at 256-232-5411 or email info@VisitAthensAL.com.

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Athens State Center for Lifelong Learning Offering Summer Courses in Decatur

For Further Information

Guy McClure

256-233-8296

Guy.McClure@athens.edu

For immediate release

May 15, 2013

www.athens.edu

Athens State Center for Lifelong Learning Offering Summer Courses in Decatur

                ATHENS, Ala. -  Athens State University’s Center for Lifelong Learning will be offering classes at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur starting this summer.  The classes offered will be some of the most popular courses that have been previously taught at the Center’s downtown Athens facility.

                For youth the classes include Adventures in the Hundred Acre Woods, a drama course that introduces students to character creation from classic literature; Discovering Violin, a course for beginners with less than three months experience; Private Violin and Cello Lessons for students 8 and up; and Painting Fun, a camp where students will create a painting in acrylic.

                For adults the classes include Painting with Acrylics, a fun and interesting way to learn how to paint with acrylics; Swing Dancing Lessons that will get you up and moving; Introduction to Photoshop Elements 9 for novices and a separate class for beginners; and Computers for Seniors, one-on-one sessions to help set up email, learn to search the web, and research ideas and interests.

                Classes start as early as June 3.  The Alabama Center for the Arts is located at 133 2^nd Avenue NE in Decatur.  Visit www.athens.edu/CLL or call 256-233-8260 for registration or information.  

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Tourism Reaches Out and Hoteliers Answer

For Further Information
Cayce Lee
Cayce@visitathensal.com

For immediate release
May 23, 2013
www.visitathensal.com

Tourism Reaches Out and Hoteliers Answer

With modern media resources access to real time events have become exceptionally easy especially to anyone with internet access.  One of the duties in the Social Media Department of the Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association is to keep a finger on the pulse on the community from events to races, road closures to emergencies and share that information on its many services.  It’s times when disaster strikes that the Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association (ALCTA) switches gears and provide information not only about blocked roads and power outages but how people can help, needs list, and community response efforts.

On Friday, May 17^th, the eyes of ALCTA turned local as the Limestone community was caught unaware of the spinning storm that would touch down across the county – delaying school children, impacting businesses and delaying community events.  The goal that day was to provide as much accurate information to help the followers of our Facebook and Twitter accounts stay safe and informed.  The day ended with sharing pictures and recounts of the damage as they were flowing over internet.

It was on Monday, May 20^th that ALCTA’s social media eyes turned westward.  Real time feeds were watched and devastation reaped upon the landscape of Oklahoma City and City of Moore rapt our attention.  The raw images spread across the internet, fanning already frayed nerves in the valley.  The pangs of sympathy and sorrow set the wheels in motion with searching solutions to share with the public.

Athens-Limestone County Tourism Social Media Specialist, Cayce Lee, put out the call to area hotels and Best Western manager, Lynn Horn, answered.  Lynn put the wheels in motion at the corporate level to get gift cards shipped into her hotel on U.S. 72, so anyone interested in purchasing them for the Gift Card Rally at the Athens Police Department on Saturday, May 25^th could just visit her location. 

“We want to be part of our community and to help and give back,” said Lynn about adding this new service program to her hotel.

“It’s great to see the response Lynn and the Best Western staff are making.  They’re sensitive to this situation, knowing the pain people experienced following our tornadoes of April 27^th 2011. How our displaced homeowners had to turn to the local hotels for somewhere to live after their homes were destroyed and their lives devastated,” said Teresa Todd, Co-Tourism Director.

 Cayce again reached out to Marriott’s Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center Hotel and Spa who recently made headlines for not only hosting the National Tornado Summit but helping convert the Summit’s Marriott Rewards points into rooms for the American Red Cross with enough points to provide 13 nights.  Tracy Swibold, Director of Sales and Marketing of the Renaissance location, responded rapidly to the request, providing information for donating Marriott Rewards points to the American Red Cross.

“We have so many people who travel in the Athens area and Marriott is a well-known chain that offers points for staying at any of their tiers and for partner services.  Someone may not have the ability to offer money right now but they can donate their points to help.  It’s fairly simple, anyone with Marriott Rewards can donate points to the American Red Cross by visiting https://mr.userewards.com/charity/index.jsp, signing in with their Marriott Rewards Number and search American Red Cross and donate,” said Cayce.

Other hoteliers in the area said that gift cards could be purchased at their corporate websites. 

Choice Hotels … www.choicehotels.com
Hilton/Hampton Hotels … www.hhonors3.hilton.com/en/gift-card/index.html
Best Western … www.travelcard.bestwestern.com
Holiday Inn/Intercontinental Hotel Group … http://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/global/offers/giftcard

Jeanette Jones, Co-President said, “We encourage other hotels to get involved and help us help others.  We’re here to help spread the word not only for fun but also disasters.” 

Jennifer Adair said, “If you can’t make it out to the event on Saturday, you can send gift cards directly to Journey Church in Norman, Oklahoma.  So if you send them directly, please let Holly Hollman with the City of Athens know so we can add your amount to our goal.”  Mrs. Hollman can be contacted via email at HHollman@athensal.us with your amounts.  To mail your cards directly to the church helping in the distribution, Journey Church P.O. Box 722764, Norman, OK 73070.

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