New Community Center Opens Doors at Thankful Park Today
De Armanville, AL · September 24, 2026
You will want to handle any courthouse business before lunchtime today, as county desks empty out for a celebration out west. Between a brand-new community hall opening and live music tonight, the valley has plenty moving.
The Lead
County leadership and community members gather at 2:00 PM today to cut the ribbon on the newly built Thankful Park Community Center along West 14th Street. The brand-new indoor facility replaces outdated park structures, delivering dedicated gathering space for civic meetings, youth recreation programs, and family reunions across western Calhoun County. The opening marks a major milestone in the county’s broader initiative to upgrade neighborhood community centers, pairing modern amenities with accessibility improvements. County staff will attend the celebration in force, prompting an administrative office closure at the Ken Joiner building from 1:45 PM until 3:30 PM. Operating hours resume as normal immediately after, while reservation details and public booking guidelines for the new center roll out through county administration in early October.
Local Pulse
Oxford Approves $2.9M Softball Turf Overhaul Parks Four fields at Oxford Lake will transition to synthetic turf following unanimous city council approval of the capital contract.
County Seeds Set For Volleyball Tournament Schools Alexandria earned the top spot and Oxford claimed number two as local squads prepare for next week's county bracket.
Today's Outlook
- High 75°F · Low 64°F — Overcast
- Overcast skies keep the afternoon comfortable, so a light layer is all you need.
What's On Around Town
Today
PARD Youth Football Games Choccolocco Park, Oxford, 5:30 PM Cheer on rising valley athletes under the lights across local gridirons.
Lonestar in Concert Oxford Performing Arts Center (100 Choccolocco St), Oxford, 7:00 PM · Paid Multi-platinum nineties country hits performed live on the downtown stage.
Tomorrow
- Youth Back-to-School Dance Anniston City Meeting Center (1615 Noble St), Anniston, 6:00–10:00 PM · $2
Saturday
Buy Back Da Block Community Festival Zinn Park, Anniston, 12:00–8:00 PM · Free
League of Our Own Soccer Games Choccolocco Park, Oxford, 6:00 PM
Spotlight & Story
- The Valley Sorghum Boils
- When sugarcane failed in foothill clay in the late nineteenth century, valley farmers adopted sweet sorghum. Every autumn, mule-turned iron rollers crushed the stalks, channeling emerald juice into twelve-foot copper evaporator pans where woodsmoke and skimming paddles yielded thick, amber syrup.
De Armanville Daily Digest — compiled from local sources as of 6 AM. For breaking updates, follow your local newsrooms.
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