Cullman Today, Wednesday, Sept. 30

0:01 Good morning, Cullman. Thank you for tuning in to Cullman Today. I'm your

0:13 host, Crystal Cory, and today is Wednesday, September 30th. We have a lot to look at in local news today,

0:19 including the Cullman Countdown to Cullman Oktoberfest, a planned water outage in Southwest Cullman this

0:24 afternoon, and the Cullman Ducks Unlimited Banquet. All this plus weather and more. But for now, let's dive into

0:32 the top stories happening in Cullman today. Get your later hosen ready. Cullman Oktoberfest kicks off tomorrow. The

0:43 festival runs Thursday, October 1st through Sunday, October 4th at Park with German food, live music, children's

0:51 activities, vendors, and plenty of downtown fun. Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs says Okctoberfest celebrates the city's

0:59 German heritage while showcasing the vibrant, welcoming city Cullman has become. And Cullman Parks Recreation and

1:06 Sports Tourism Executive Director Nathan Anderson says the festival welcomes tens of thousands of guests from across the

1:13 region each year. You can find the full schedule at Cullman Octoberfestestival.com. [clears throat]

1:20 Next up, a heads up. If you live in or drive in southwest Cullman, the city of

1:26 Cullman Water Department will repair a main water line in the Logan Street Southwest area today. Water service will

1:33 be interrupted along parts of Logan Street Southwest and Vine Avenue Southwest from about 1 until 3 this

1:40 afternoon. Parts of Logan Street Southwest and Parker Avenue Southwest will also be closed to traffic while the

1:47 crews work and emergency vehicles will not be able to pass through this closure. So, plan another route.

1:54 To finish out our top stories, the Cullman chapter of Ducks Unlimited is getting ready for its biggest fundraiser

2:02 of the year. The chapter's annual banquet is Thursday, October 15th at 6:00 p.m. at the venue at Cotton Creek

2:10 with dinner catered by JW Steakhouse. There will be raffles plus silent and live auctions with items like hunting

2:17 trips to Africa and Argentina. The featured raffle includes a gun safe and eight firearms with only 100 tickets

2:26 sold at $100 each. And there are special raffles for just kids. All proceeds

2:33 support Ducks Unlimited wetlands conservation work, including projects here in North Alabama. Tickets are

2:40 available at ducks.org or at the door. For tickets or sponsorship opportunities, call chapter

2:48 chairman Zack Drake at 256-6201672. That's a look at today's top stories. We're going to take a quick break and

3:00 we'll be right back after this message.

3:25 Hello and welcome back to Cullman Today. Now it's time to speed things up with a

3:29 news rundown. Four stories in under four minutes. First up, Senior Day at Cullman

3:38 Oktoberfest is set for Friday, October 2nd, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Depot Park. The event will feature a

3:46 free lunch sponsored by Walmart Transportation for the first 600 seniors along with live music from the

3:53 Good Bellows Band. Seniors can also take part in several contests including best October Fest attire,

4:00 men's and women's sign hoisting, a chicken dance contest, and a yodelling contest. Organizers will also crown the

4:08 first ever Miss Senior Octoberfest during this event. Those planning to attend should keep an eye on the

4:15 official Cullman Oktoberfest page for any weather related updates. Next, congratulations to Cullman Christian School's Asa Haynes, who has

4:25 been named a National Merit Semi-finalist. More than 1.2 million juniors entered this year's National Merit Scholarship

4:33 Program, and only about 16,000 were named semi-finalists. Less than 1% of the nation's high school

4:40 seniors. ASA can now apply to advance to finalist, which puts him in the running

4:46 for a national merit scholarship. Congratulations, Asa. The North Alabama Agroplex has two

4:53 classes tomorrow. Little farmers, the preschool series, goes pumpkin orange from 10 to 11:00 a.m. It's $5 per child

5:02 with a $10 max per family. Then from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., the Heritage

5:07 Skills class will teach Macra where you'll make your own hanging plant holder. The class is $25 per person.

5:15 Registration is required for both. You can sign up at agroplex.org. And finally, calling all businesses,

5:22 churches, schools, clubs, and nonprofits. The Cullman Area Literacy Council is hosting its first

5:29 scarecrow trail at Heritage Park this fall. Registration is now open for creative scarecrow exhibits, a fun way

5:37 to show off your organization in the community. Find entry details on the Cullman Area Literacy Council's Facebook

5:44 page. Now for a quick break before we look at the weather and pay our respects to the

5:50 members we've lost in the community. We'll be right back after this quick message.

6:11 >>

6:34 >> Welcome back. Let's take a moment to pause and remember those we've lost in

6:38 the community. Larry Cullman Creel, 77 of HZville, passed away Sunday, September 27th. Visitation will be Friday,

6:51 October 2nd from 5 to 8:00 p.m. at Hsville Funeral Home. Funeral services will be Saturday, October 3rd at 11:00

6:59 a.m. at Mount Zion Baptist Church. Burial will be at Wilty Cemetery. Mary Gene Hancock, 80 of Hanceville,

7:08 passed away Sunday, September 28th. A celebration of life will be today from 1

7:14 to 2:00 p.m. at Moss Service Funeral Home with a committal service to follow

7:18 at Bethlehem United Methodist Church Cemetery. Visitation was yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their

7:25 friends and families. Now, let's take a look at today's weather. Today will be sunny with a high near 88.

7:40 Calm wind becoming south tossoutheast around 5 mph this afternoon. And tonight will be mostly clear with a low around

7:48 62. Tomorrow will be sunny and hot for the start of October Fest with a high near

7:55 90 and southsoutheast winds of 5 to 10 mph with gust as high as 15. Tomorrow

8:02 night will be partly cloudy with a low around 66. That concludes another edition of

8:12 Cullman Today. Thank you for joining us. We'll be back bright and early tomorrow

8:16 morning at 6:30. And I'm Crystal Kley and this is Cullman Today. Have a good

8:21 one, Cullman. >>