Druid City Arts Festival Today + Chamber Volunteers Honored

TGIF T-Town! Let's breeze through this Friday morning and get you all caught up for the weekend ahead.

In today's Daily, we have these stories and more ...

• Area teams in high school baseball playoffs.
• Live music returning to downtown Tuscaloosa today.
• Volunteers honored by the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.

First, today's weather:

Tuscaloosa can expect a sunny Friday, with a high around 77°

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Patch Pick

Congratulations to Columbus, Mississippi native and UAB graduate student Malik Seals on being named a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Student Research Award. Seals is a 2020 University of Alabama Honors College graduate in biological sciences.

Here are the top 5 stories today in Tuscaloosa

1. The 12th annual Druid City Arts Festival is set to begin today and will continue on Saturday as live music return to Government Plaza in downtown Tuscaloosa. (More on Patch)

2. The Tuscaloosa Amphitheater has announced two major musical acts set to take the stage in July. Find out more here! (More on Patch)

3. The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama held its 120th annual awards celebration Thursday night, honoring several notable members for their contributions. See the list of honorees here! (More on Patch)

4. The Tuscaloosa County High School Choir, led by Ginny Coleman and Carlton Copeland, sang the National Anthem before an Atlanta Braves game on Thursday. Watch it here! (More)

5. An Aliceville man and woman both received lengthy prison sentences this week in connection to the 2018 shooting death of a man during an attempted robbery in Pickens County. (More on Patch)

3 Things To Do Today

1. "Kids Night Out" at the Bobby Miller Center (More)

2. The Velcro Pygmies live at Rhythm & Brews (More)

3. Druid City Arts Festival in downtown Tuscaloosa (More)

Check it out!

The Tuscaloosa County Board of Education on Monday recognized future business leaders of America and honored students who will soon begin their military service, Aaron Bonner reports. (Northport Gazette)

Tuscaloosa Patch Notebook

- Leadership Tuscaloosa held a graduation ceremony last week for its Class of 2020-21. Click here to see who all finished the prestigious program. (More on Patch)

- University of Alabama Youth Programs will host a variety of summer camps aimed to appeal to a wide range of interests, including STEM, writing, music and more. (More on Patch)

- Here's a reminder that summer and fall registration is open at Shelton State Community College, with summer classes set to begin May 24. (More)

- The Alabama Department of Health will host a free coronavirus vaccine clinic at Stillman College May 25 at Birthright Alumni Hall Gymnasium. (More)

- The Northport City Council on Monday will receive a public presentation on a recent feasibility study for a proposed water park. (More on Patch)

- University Place Elementary fifth grader Yu'Michael King got his big break this week as he sat down with Kip Tyner for Great Day Tuscaloosa to discuss his amazing art! (More)

From the cheap seats ...

- Central High School senior Aja Wiltshire is taking her basketball skills to the next level after officially signing this week to play for Wallace Community College - Selma. (More)

- Thursday saw the end of the 2021 baseball season for Northridge High (6A) and American Christian Academy (4A) in the semifinal round of the ASHAA baseball playoffs.

- No. 3 seed Alabama softball defeated the Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday 5-1 and advanced to face Tennessee today in the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament.

- Congratulations to Northridge High's Rashni Walker, who recently won the 2021 AHSAA State Heptathlon Title. (More)

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday. But don't miss out during the rest of day! Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content every day of the week.

I'll see you around!

- Ryan

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.