• Indian Pines gets new name — A2 • Pay raises for teachers in the Lee County Schools system — B1 • Supreme Court rules on congressional lines in Alabama — B9
IN THIS ISSUE
SUMMER SWING June 20 at Municipal Park at 7 p.m. Route 66 will be performing.
BUSINESS NEWS A3 | SOCIETY A7 | OBITUARIES A14 | COMICS A16 SPORTS B1 | POLITICS B9 | PUBLIC NOTICES B12 | PUZZLES B15 COVERING LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA
Vol. 15, No. 36 Opelika, Alabama
Thursday, June 15, 2023 www.opelikaobserver.com
Your local publication created 'for local people, by local people.'
BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER HLESTER@ OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
LEE COUNTY — Juneteenth has come to Lee County again and this year, Auburn and Opelika are planning multiple events for a greater reach. Juneteenth is the celebration of emancipation of slaves within the United States. The holiday is celebrated each year on June 19 because that is
when Texan slaves were made aware of emancipation in 1865. "Juneteenth is the recognition of a terrible time in our country's history; it's the recognition of the end of that time," said Auburn Mayor Ron Anders. "For us locally in Auburn, Juneteenth is a recognition of the history and the contributions of our African American community and what they mean to the city. I'm very proud that we take time
to stop and recognize those contributions, those histories and those stories that come from those members of our community that have gone through struggle, that have had to fight harder and that have succeeded in making Auburn a great place to live." Juneteenth was created as a national and federal holiday in 2021. "I would describe See JUNETEENTH, page A3
PHOTO BY ROBERT NOLES / THE OBSERVER
Juneteenth Events Planned for Weekend
A crowd gathered for Opelika's Juneteenth celebration in downtown Opelika in 2022. Auburn and Opelika are both hosting Juneteenth ceremonies over the coming weekend, beginning Friday and ending Monday, June 19.
Same Coffee, New Name
PHOTO BY ROBERT NOLES / THE OBSERVER
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER
Ready, Set, Go Have Fun!
Market Street Coffee Shop is located at 116 S. 8th St. in downtown Opelika. CyberZone is located at 107 N. 9th St. in downtown Opelika. BY MICHELLE KEY AND KATIE KINGSTON
OPELIKA — The sun is shining, schools are out for the summer and the children
are clamoring for things to do. One local resident has put together a list of fun things to help keep families active. The Observer has partnered with several local venues and will be offering
a prize giveaway every for the remainder of the summer, through Aug. 10. We want to see everyone out having a great time this summer. All anyone has to do to be entered
into the drawing for each week's giveaway is pick an activity from the list, snap a photo showing the activity, upload to The Observer’s Facebook page and tag us. See SUMMER FUN, page A5
Check Out The Summer Fun List — A5
BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER HLESTER@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA — The boonie hat is changing hands. Boonie Hat Coffee in downtown Opelika is changing ownership from Luis Saavedra to Jim Bryson, owner of Market Street Paint Shop. “Luis originally approached us about purchasing Boonie Hat Coffee shop, and it became a no-brainer,” Bryson said. “… We realized how much of a tag See COFFEE, page A2
O O
Find Us Online:
FRED ERi CK-DEAN FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY Compassion • Integrity • Tradition
334-745-4667 On-site Crematory Now Open