There will be limited hours during the first week of operation due to some modifications and personnel issues that are being addressed.  This is to “work out the kinks” due to all new equipment in their state of the art kitchen.

The Olive Garden will open on Monday, August 4th with limited hours of 4 pm until 10 pm.  On Monday, August 11th, the Olive Garden in Florence will resume full operations, opening at 11 am.

The Olive Garden is still interviewing for positions prior to opening.

While a smoking ban is a good idea for those that don’t smoke, what about the businesses that would be affected by a blanket policy smoking ban?  How many bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, etc. would be forced to close because of the loss of patrons that choose to smoke?

While non-smokers are overwhelmingly in favor of a smoking ban, what about the rights of smokers and business owners that would be affected by the smoking ban?  Is a “blanket policy” smoking ban that would affect all restaurants, bars, etc. the best policy?

While the official vote has not been cast yet, there seems to be a large amount of support in the Northern Kentucky area for a smoking ban.  If Boone County were to pass a smoking ban, Florence would still be obligated to follow that ban due to the county law taking precedence over the City of Florence.

Come join Liberty and many other community mascots for a day of fun! Children will be grouped according to age. The age groups are 3 and under, 4-5, 6-7, and 8-10.   Ages 3 and under are the first group to go at 12.

Work crews have completed the buildings shell to allow work to continue through the winter.  The theater will seat up to 3,000 people and house a restaurant with a full bar, a luxurious lobby with a piano, rocking, reclining seats, a food court and waiters who bring food to the seats.  Some theaters will even offer reserved, extra wide, leather seats.

National Amusements, which owns Showcase Cinemas, has said that the Showcase Cinemas on Mall Road and another company owned nine-screen theater in Erlanger will remain open even after the new theater is complete. 

The Florence Freedom, Northern Kentucky’s own professional baseball team, have finalized their upcoming 2008 54 home game baseball schedule. The team opens with a 5 game home stand on Wednesday, May 21st at Champion Window Field. That game has an early start time of 11:05am for “Education Day” presented by Xavier University’s College of Social Sciences, Health, and Education.  

Opening Night is the first “Thirsty Thursday” of 2008 on May 22nd. The fan favorite night will again feature $1.00 beverages but also have the new additions of Karaoke on the concourse and themed foods including Mexican, Italian, and Greek food on different Thursday nights.Monday through Friday games begin at 7:05pm and Saturday games begin at 6:05pm all summer long.

Sunday’s in May and June begin at 2:05pm and in July and August start at 6:05pm.Four games in 2008 have early start times of 11:05am. Opening Day May 21st, May 27th, 28th, and July 9th are all morning games.

The complete 2008 Florence Freedom schedule is available at www.florencefreedom.com. Florence Freedom is a member of the Frontier League, a 12-team Independent Professional Baseball League established in 1993. The Freedom play a 96 game schedule with 54 home games between late May and early September.

 The local program will be held in Florence at Erpenbeck Elementary June 16 through 20 and is open to all children in grades first through sixth.  The program lasts from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm each day and the registration fee is $185 if you register before March 31.  After April 1, registration is $205.  Online registration is available at www.campinvention.org or by calling (800) 968-4332.

For more information and to pick up an application packet, stop by the Human Resources Department in the City of Florence Government Center located at 8100 Ewing Blvd.

Directions:  From I-75, take exit 181 (Burlington/Florence Ky-18 exit).  Go East to Ewing Blvd on the right.

The Mall Road location was originally another restaurant, so Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden, is making way for a new building style to better match the restaurants theme and image.

The new Olive Garden will be of Tuscan style decor and offer better seating options for patrons. The new Olive Garden should be open around September, 2008. In the meantime, the other locations in the Greater Cincinnati area are still open. Employees were offered positions in the area with other Darden restaurant chain stores, such as Red Lobster and Smokey Bones.