Editor’s Note: This article is part of an annual series published by The News Courier entitled “Progress.” This year, our team is returning to its roots with a classic look at progress, showing how far our county has come and what kind of organizations, departments, officials and residents in the Athens-Limestone region lies ahead of us.

Various events are held in Limestone County and Athens City throughout the year. From smaller gatherings like the after five Friday on Athens Main Street to large annual events like the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention hosted by Athens State University, the county has a little bit of everything.

Many events have been canceled thanks to COVID-19 and the global pandemic it sparked. Now that vaccines are being given and people are more comfortable in a world with COVID-19, many are getting back on the schedule.

Tourism and benefits

Teresa Todd, president of the Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association, said she really hopes the vaccines will soon address COVID-19, which “will not be welcome again”.

“I want this to be gone,” she said. “It was really exhausting to live with COVID-19. We have to think of so many ways we can change the way we work and get money. Some things work and some don’t. I just want my normal back. “

Although tourism declined almost everywhere in the country due to coronavirus-related restrictions, Todd said her organization had still seen a lot of visitors over the past year, but fewer than she expected given the county’s growth.

“We had a lot of guests who still came and looked around,” she said. “We have a lot of people who have built or bought houses here and wanted to know what they can do in Athens.”

While tourism in Limestone County may have been on the decline, some services have seen an increase in usage, such as the Athens Limestone Public Library.

Kris Reisz, Head of Adult Services at ALPL, told The News Courier that overall library use, the number of students and adults using online resources for schoolwork, and the number of students who used it for schoolwork had decreased throughout the period between October 2019 and September 2020 Use job search, but has increased.

During this time, ALPL welcomed 50,600 visitors and ended with 8,269 registered customers.

“Some people have hesitated to come out, but the number is increasing,” Reisz said in January. “People keep coming in. It has been a difficult year and we have reconsidered how we serve the public. “

According to Reisz, there were 429 individual programs in the library – virtual and personal – in which a total of 13,233 adults, children and young people took part during this period. Patrons borrowed 163,588 items, which, according to Reisz, were valued at $ 3,271,760.

The library lists a collection of assets including 77,306 books, 3,528 DVDs and 1,103 audiobooks in physical formats, as well as 83,120 books and 9,718 audiobooks available online.

Canceled

One reason tourism saw a decline over the past year was the number of events that had to be canceled due to public safety concerns related to COVID-19.

The Tourist Board hosts a number of events each year, including Singing on The Square concerts on the steps of the Limestone County Courthouse. These concerts coincide with the Fridays after five Main Street events, held once a month during the summer.

Todd said the first concert on the series took place last year, shortly after the pandemic hit, when “nobody expected it to be more than a month or two.”

As soon as the severity of the pandemic became clearer, all remaining summer events in the concert series were canceled.

Newly invented

As the months went by and people became increasingly familiar with social distancing and wearing face coverings, the calendar of events began to fill up again, especially with events that were held outdoors.

“Like everyone else, 2020 was a challenge for us,” said Todd. “A lot of it was trying to learn new ways to do old jobs.”

Such was the case with the Athens Fireworks Show hosted by the Tourism Association on July 4th. The association decided to promote the event as a “drive-in” and people were asked to enjoy the spectacle in their vehicles.

“Not everyone did this, but overall it went pretty well,” said Todd. “We chose to do this because it is difficult to control large groups of people.”

Another event organized by the tourism association is haunted walks in the weeks leading up to Halloween. Tour guides take visitors on guided walking tours of downtown Athens and share some of the haunted history of the homes and businesses in the area.

“I was concerned about how we would manage our haunted walks since they are usually large groups,” said Todd. “We decided to make sure people wear masks and keep a reasonable distance, and the public has been very cooperative. Many of the groups were family members or employees who would stay in a cluster. “

Since it was one of the few events not canceled by the pandemic, Todd said hosting the annual haunted walks “made her heart beat faster”.

Another annual event that was scheduled was the North Pole Walk in December. Corporations are encouraged to sponsor and decorate Christmas trees, which are on display in Big Spring Memorial Park throughout the month.

Visitors can then take a stroll among the decorated trees to get in the holiday mood.

“We had a wonderful time doing the North Pole Walk this year,” said Todd. “We had sponsored more trees than ever before with 72 (trees).”

Todd said that most of the events or attractions currently being promoted by the tourism association are outdoors, much like the Haunted Walks and North Pole Walk.

Rescheduled

After the vaccines arrive and people become familiar with life in the “new normal” world, Todd hopes to put the association’s events back on the 2021 calendar.

These include historic walks through downtown Athens in April and the Singing on The Square concert series in summer.

“I’m really looking forward to singing on the pitch again,” she said. “So many people of all ages come out for that, and many of them don’t even come from Athens. That is one of the things we can do and know that we are a step back towards normal. “

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