FLORENCE– The November First Fridays event will be painted purple as the University of North Alabama partners with the First Fridays committee on the monthly event. The festivities will take place from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1 in downtown Florence.
“UNA is hosting Preview Day for prospective students and parents that weekend, and, pairing with First Fridays has become something of a tradition,” said First Fridays Committee Chairwoman Lexi Sandlin. “Preview Day is a great event, and First Fridays is a wonderful way to introduce potential students and their families to the community.”
As part of the “Paint it Purple” event, downtown businesses are invited to paint their windows with a UNA theme. A 
scavenger hunt will take place from 5-6:25 p.m. Winners for the window decorating contest and scavenger hunt will be announced at 6:25 p.m., after which the pep rally will begin at 6:30 p.m. A procession to the Mane Room on Pine Street will begin at 7:15 p.m., and children are welcome to wear their Halloween costumes for a costume contest at the Mane Room beginning at 8 p.m.
The Thanks-for-Giving tradition continues for the November First Fridays as members of Leadership Shoals will be on hand to collect nonperishable food items for the Backpacks of Love that will be donated to the Sidney’s Safe Foundation.
On the Billy Reid stage, Trey Hardin, Austin Moody and Post War are scheduled to perform. Dozens of vendors will line both sides of Court Street, selling a variety of hand-crafted items, from jewelry to outsider art, to Christmas ornaments. The first 50 people to stop by the First Fridays tent outside of Unraveled beginning at 5 p.m. will receive a free t-shirt.
First Fridays, which is sponsored by Listerhill Credit Union, is a committee of Downtown Florence Unlimited and takes place the first Friday of every month during March through December.
