• Expungement clinic June 23 — A3 • Walking tours in downtown Opelika — A7 • City council highlights — B9
IN THIS ISSUE
SUMMER SWING June 27 at Municipal Park at 7 p.m. Dave Potts will be performing.
BUSINESS NEWS A3 | SOCIETY A7 | OBITUARIES A14 | COMICS A16 SPORTS B1 | POLITICS B9 | PUBLIC NOTICES B12 | PUZZLES B14 COVERING LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA
Vol. 15, No. 37 Opelika, Alabama
Thursday, June 22, 2023 www.opelikaobserver.com
Your local publication created 'for local people, by local people.'
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER
Racing to Auburn
Event Brings Vintage Cars To Area BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER HGOLDFINGER@ OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
AUBURN — The Great Race is here. Sorry, no, not The Amazing Race. The Great Race. The Great Race is a car event that takes participants through 17 stops in cities across the country to show off vintage vehicles. “The Great Race is an antique, vintage and collector car competitive
controlled-speed endurance road rally on public highways,” said The Great Race website. “It is not a test of top speed. It is a test of a driver/ navigator teams' ability to follow precise course instructions and the cars' (and teams') ability to endure on a cross-country trip. The course instructions require the competing teams to drive at or below the posted speed limits at all times.” The Great Race is coming to Auburn with 125 vintage cars on June
24 at 12:15 p.m. The event as a whole comprises 2,300 miles and this is the first time The Great Race has come to Auburn. “Each day the driver and navigator team receives a set of course instructions that indicate every turn, speed change, stop and start that the team must make throughout the day (usually 220 to 250 such instructions per day),” the website said. “Along the course See GREAT RACE, page A3
Mallory Henderson and her father raced six years together before his passing in The Great Race. This year, when Henderson is racing, The Great Race will pass through Auburn.
Lee County EMA Director Elected President of Statewide Association
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — Lee County EMA Director Rita Smith has been elected the 2023-2024 president of the Alabama Association of Emergency Managers (AAEM), the statewide association representing Alabama’s emergency managers. Smith was elected to the position at the recent 2023 Alabama Disaster Preparedness Conference. “I'm honored to serve this association as president," Smith said. "I look forward to working diligently with
emergency managers and their staff across the state of Alabama to continue advancing emergency management and promoting emergency awareness across all 67 counties." Before moving into the role of AAEM president, Smith served as the association's first vice president and second vice president. ACCA Executive Director Sonny Brasfield expressed his continued confidence in Smith's abilities, stating: “Rita is a committed advocate for emergency management and has
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER
CONTRIBUTED BY AAEM
Local Hospital CEO Elected to Statewide Office
RITA SMITH worked tirelessly for all 67 counties in her leadership positions up to this point. I
know she will bring that same mindset and dedication to her role See SMITH, page A2
Summer of Fun List — A5
LAURA GRILL CONTRIBUTED BY ALABAMA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
MONTGOMERY — Laura Grill, president and CEO of East Alabama Health, was elected to serve as the chair-elect of the Alabama Hospital Association (AlaHA). The election took place at the association’s annual meeting last See GRILL, page A2
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