Local tree planting and distribution event aims to engage community members to take an active role in the overall health of their communities Opelika, Ala. (Nov. 12, 2025) – On Nov. 12, the Alabama Urban Forestry Association (AUFA) will partner with Niagara Cares, the charitable division of Niagara Bottling, and the Arbor Day Foundation to plant and distribute 315 trees in Opelika.  The AUFA’s mission is to educate tree care professionals and...
When the bottle stopped spinning, love took over BY JERRY BALLASFOR THE OBSERVER Sometimes, love begins with the simplest twist of fate — or, in this case, the spin of a bottle.Marty Ballas of Miami, Florida, played one year of basketball at the University of Miami before joining the U.S. Army. He was stationed at Fort Benning and later deployed to serve in the Korean War. After returning from overseas, he continued his service at Fort Benning...
CONTRIBUTED BY AUBURN-OPELIKA TOURISM AUBURN-OPELIKA — Auburn-Opelika Tourism has been honored with a 2025 Readers’ Choice Award from ConventionSouth, the national multimedia resource for event planners across the South. This year marks the tenth time Auburn-Opelika Tourism has received this recognition, celebrating all the front-line hospitality workers who make the destination excellent in customer service, creativity and event support. Each...
CONTRIBUTED BY THE CITY OF OPELIKA OPELIKA – One year after the start of production in Opelika, Miele, a family-owned manufacturer of premium household appliances with more than 125 years of history, has completed the phase one of their relocation plan. The facility is now exclusively producing built-in ovens and ranges for the markets in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. “Within one year we relocated six final assembly lines from Germany to our...
BY KADIE TAYLOR THE OBSERVER LEE COUNTY — We’ve all seen little free pantry boxes and little free libraries — even art exchanges where visitors can take a piece and leave one they’ve created. Now, Beauregard has its own twist on the idea. Visit Mi Ranchito and check out Dead Pedal Motors’ new Car Library — a fun spot where children can trade toy cars and share in the joy of giving and collecting. “I just kept seeing those blessing boxes around...
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT FOR THE OBSERVER EAST ALABAMA — In the unseasonably chill Halloween air, a line of cars wrapped nearly completely around the Valley First Assembly of God Church. It was just shy of 9 a.m., and each one had come to receive their bimonthly food assistance from the congregation’s food bank mission. Inside, a handful of parishioners — most well into their sixties and seventies — stacked box upon box onto a flat cart to begin this...
Community
MUSTANGS AND HEROES PROGRAM/EXTENDED HEARTS FOUNDATION - The Mustangs and Heroes Program is an initiative that connects veterans and first responders with the healing power of horses. Through equine-assisted therapy, participants experience...
CONTRIBUTED BY GROUNDSWELL OPELIKA — The 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow will be held in Opelika Nov. 10–12, bringing together more than 200 local leaders from across the nation to focus on rural resilience in energy, food, water and healthy...
CONTRIBUTED BY ALDI OPELIKA — For years, ALDI has offered the lowest per-person price on a Thanksgiving meal compared to nationwide retailers. This year, the country’s fastest-growing grocer continues that tradition by offering a Thanksgiving feast...
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