FLORENCE, AL. - On July 18, Shoals residents are invited to participate in a community engagement event to help the Tennessee RiverLine team define next steps for North America's next great regional trail system. Called 652 to YOU, the community engagement event will be from 5-7 p.m. in the Singing River Room of the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa.

Designed to give residents an opportunity to share feedback and ideas on river access and usage in the community through fun activities, the 652 to YOU event is a way to listen, learn, and given input to help shape the direction of the Tennessee RiverLine in the Shoals. Register to attend here.

"We are hoping to see a diverse group of community members attend the meeting, from community leaders and business owners, to recreation enthusiasts and students from local school systems, Northwest-Shoals Community College, and UNA," said Dr. Carrie Barske, the director of the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, which is housed on the UNA campus. "The more diverse the group, the more we have an opportunity to learn from one another about how the Tennessee RiverLine can benefit our community."

The Tennessee RiverLine is a vision for North America's next great regional trail system, which will become a 652-mile trail along the Tennessee River that includes the Shoals. The 652 to YOU project is named for the length of the trail. In May, the Shoals was selected as one of the five 2019 Tennessee RiverLine Pilot Communities, a program designed to bring expertise, ideas, and insight from communities into the ongoing development of the Tennessee RiverLine.

While in the Shoals, the Tennessee RiverLine team will also tour the area, meet with community leaders and advocates, and have a river clean-up. Community members are invited to participate in the river clean-up on July 18 from 9 a.m. until noon at Sheffield Riverfront Park, at 1416 Alabama Avenue.

"The development of the RiverLine in the Shoals will build upon the prosperity of our community - something that so many other cities and communities crave to attract new investment and talent," said Rob Carnegie, the president and CEO of the Florence/Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Tennessee River watershed residents and friends who are unable to attend the events, may provide feedback and ideas on the Tennessee RiverLine using an interactive survey at www.tnriverline.org/riverusage.

This summer, the Tennessee RiverLine team will be traveling to all five pilot communities, which include Benton County, Tenn.; Roane County, Tenn.; Bridgeport, Ala.; and Paducah/McCracken County, Ky.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professionals. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I's ASUN Big South Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/

About the Tennessee RiverLine

Called North America's next great regional trail system, the Tennessee RiverLine is a continuous system of paddling, hiking and biking experiences along the Tennessee River's 652-mile reach, from its formation in Knoxville, TN, to its confluence with the Ohio River in Paducah, KY. The Tennessee RiverLine celebrates the Tennessee River, connects people and communities and catalyzes economic development and healthy lifestyles in river communities by providing paddle-hike-bike experiences for residents and visitors. The Tennessee RiverLine originated in 2016 in the School of Landscape Architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design and UT Herbert College of Agriculture. Today, it is conducted by the Tennessee RiverLine Partnership with ongoing support of the University of Tennessee. For more information about the Tennessee RiverLine, visit www.tnriverline.org or e-mail info@tnriverline.org. Follow the RiverLine on Twitter and Instagram (@tnRiverLine) and Facebook (@tnRiverLine652), and get involved with the Tennessee RiverLine.