Slight damage in Florence fires

FLORENCE — Fires created minimal damaged to Shoals Christian High School and NAFCO Thursday morning, officials said.

Florence firefighters were called to Shoals Christian School on Heathrow Drive just after 8 a.m. to handle for a fire inside a classroom.

"(School officials) had the fire out when we got there, but we had to deal with a lot of smoke," said battalion chief Ben Cochran.

Firefighters said it appears the fire started from an aquarium inside the classroom. Cochran said the bulletin board near the aquarium burned.

He said school was evacuated and students were later dismissed from classes for the remainder of the day because of the smoke.

Firefighters were called to NAFCO on Church Road about 10:30 a.m. on a report of a fire inside the plant.

Cochran said a shredding machine, which cuts up vinyl, caused a fire.

"There was heavy smoke, but very little damage," Cochran said.

He said no one was injured in either of the fires.

TOM SMITH

Retired colonel Sheffield speaker

SHEFFIELD — Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Arthur D. Graves will be the guest speaker at Sunday's quarterly meeting of the Colbert County Historical Landmarks Foundation meeting.

The meeting begins at 2:30 p.m. at the Sheffield Public Library, 316 N. Montgomery Ave.

Graves' presentation will focus on Black History Month and discuss three basic structures — the family, church and school — that black families rely on as social support systems.

Graves is a World War II veteran who received his U.S. Air Force ROTC commission from Tuskegee Institute in 1949 and entered active military service in 1951.

Before entering the service, Graves was a public school teacher and is now the owner of Thompson & Son Funeral Home in Tuscumbia.

The meeting is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Tom McKnight at 256-635-8940 or Lanny Perry at 256-383-4204.

Fire department fundraiser set

UNDERWOOD — The Underwood-Petersville Volunteer Fire Department is holding a fish dinner Saturday.

The event will be 2-7 p.m. at the Fire Department on Alabama 157, near Underwood Elementary School.

All-you-can-eat, dine-in plates are $10, and $5 for children under age 8. Carryouts will also be available.

For details, call 256-764-7740.

All proceeds benefit the Fire Department.

TOM SMITH

UNA conference focuses on comedy

FLORENCE — Comedy will be the theme of the fourth annual conference for graduate-level English students, an event sponsored by the University of North Alabama.

The conference is today and Saturday in the performance center of the Guillot University Center at UNA. All events are open to the public.

The theme "No Laughing Matter: Exploring the Art of Humor" will focus on the use of humor in literature, film, stand-up comedy, television and other media.

Kicking off this year's conference will be a stand-up routine: "The Secrets of Stand-up: Three Alabama Comics Reveal How They Get the Laughs." The program will be 7:30 p.m. today. The routine will feature comedians Olivia Cathcart, Bo Guthrie and Jarrod Prestage.

The conference will conclude with a performance of Thornton Wilder's 1960 comic play "Childhood" at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The cast will feature members of UNA's own amateur theatre troupe, the Willing Hams. Admission to the performance is by donation.

Shanghai Circus coming to UNA

FLORENCE — The New Shanghai Circus is coming to town.

The acrobats, athletes and artists that make up the New Shanghai Circus will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday at Norton Auditorium at the University of North Alabama.

Admission is free.

The UNA Distinguished Events Series was developed in 2005 to help expose the community to various sources of arts and culture.

‘Alabama' theme of film festival

FLORENCE — Alabama will be the major theme for the 2013 George Lindsey UNA Film Festival, which begins Monday.

The festival kicks off with a VIP showing of the acclaimed documentary "Muscle Shoals" at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center.

The film will be screened again March 1 at UNA's Norton Auditorium.

The festival line up includes "Eating Alabama," a profession documentary that looks at why food matters in the South. It was done by film maker Andrew Grace, an Alabama native, and has been shown on Alabama Public Television.

The short film "Never Got a Dime" by Shelby Hadden is also in the line up. "Never Got a Dime" tells the story of Gadsden's Lilly Ledbetter whose fight for equal pay for women led to the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

For more information on screening times, schedules and "Muscle Shoals" tickets, visit www.lindseyfilmfest.com. The film festival concludes March 2.