Alabama is launching its 20th annual back-to-school sales tax holiday to help families save money in preparation for the upcoming school year.

This event, which will take place from July 18-20, allows shoppers to purchase certain items tax-free, including clothing, school supplies, and computers.

The tax-free weekend is expected to provide significant savings for families. Look inside and you'll find a link to see all eligible items...

Here’s a look at the 5-day weather forecast for Madison, AL:

	Today	91° 71°	Humid with intervals of clouds and sunshine; a thunderstorm in spots this afternoon; storms can bring flooding downpours and localized damaging wind gusts
	Monday	92° 73°	Partly sunny and humid with a thunderstorm in parts of the area
	Tuesday	94° 74°	Mostly sunny with a thunderstorm in spots in the afternoon
	Wednesday	91° 74°	Mostly cloudy and humid; a thunderstorm in spots in the afternoon
	Thursday	91° 74°	Turning cloudy and humid; a stray thunderstorm in the afternoon
	Friday	87° 71°	Mostly cloudy and humid; occasional morning rain and a thunderstorm followed by a couple of thunderstorms in the afternoon
	Saturday	89° 72°	Mostly cloudy and humid with a couple of thunderstorms

Alabama's Tax Free Weekend 2025

Q: When is Alabama’s Tax-Free Weekend this year?
Alabama’s 2025 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday runs Friday, July 18 through Sunday, July 20. It’s a great time to save on essentials!

Q: What items are eligible for the tax exemption?
You can shop tax-free on...

• Clothing items under $100 each
• School supplies under $50 per item
• Books under $30
• Computers and educational tech under $750

For more info...

Q: Where’s the best place to shop in town?
Check out Bridge Street Town Centre, Target, Kohl’s and Walmart. Some stores also run additional discounts on top of the tax savings.

Lola's Cocina

Lola’s Cocina brings fresh, made-from-scratch Tex‑Mex dishes to North Alabama with its current location in Jones Valley and a second spot coming soon to Town Madison 

Their menu spans breakfast, lunch, and dinner, featuring scratch-made tortillas, bold street tacos (think carne asada, barbacoa, al pastor), vibrant guacamole, queso, and more... all served in a fast-casual setup. Don't forget to get a Margarita, Horchata or Jarritos.

📍Jones Valley location: 2626 Carl T. Jones Drive, Huntsville, AL 35802, open daily from 7 AM (breakfast until 10:30 AM) through the evening 

Lola’s Cocina is a must-try if you’re craving fresh, flavorful Tex‑Mex.

Keep your eyes on Town Madison for their grand opening any time now.

Learn more...

The Hidden Life of Cicadas

You’ve heard the buzz... the buzz from the loudest insect on earth... producing 100+ decibels of sound.

Cicadas are summer’s loudest guests, but their journey begins in a much quieter place... inside a tree branch.

After mating, female cicadas lay tiny eggs inside slender twigs and bark using a special, saw-like tool. Weeks later, those eggs hatch into rice-sized nymphs, which drop to the ground and immediately burrow deep into the soil.

Beneath our feet, they spend 13 or 17 years in complete darkness, slowly feeding on the sap of tree roots. And when the time is right and the ground warms to just the right temperature... they emerge by the millions in a synchronized natural spectacle.

The nymphs then climb trees or walls, shed their old skins, and become winged adults. 

Their famous buzzing calls soon fill the summer air as they search for mates and continue the cycle.

From a silent fall to a deafening summer, the cicada’s story is one of patience, transformation, and perfect timing... truly one of nature’s most fascinating life cycles.

Am I Getting Bouji About Coffee

You know those moments where you're like, “I don’t need it… but also... yes I do”? That was me! My Keurig corner needed a K-Cup Carousel. I got tired of my Starbucks and Peet's boxes laying on the counter and having to dig through them like a caffeine craving racoon. I wanted my coffee corner to look like I was in one of those expensive hotels.  

So... This fancy, black spinner holds FORTY pods (yes, I counted). It spins. It looks like something a celebrity would have next to their espresso machine on a marble countertop. Did I need it? Not really.
Did I suddenly feel like I was first class?

Absolutely! So if you’ve ever...

Judged someone’s cluttered coffee corner (guilty ✋)
Wanted your guests to say “oooh, fancy” (me ✋)
Or just feel like treating yourself because it’s a Sunday... HECK YEAH!!!

👉 Grab one for yourself for a sense of royalty

If you missed last weeks hot buy... click here

We Want to Spotlight Your Business

If you have a local business and would love to be featured in our newsletter, you can connect with us here.

Want more visibility to your business, create your free account here.

We're giving away Pro Accounts to the first 10 businesses that sign up with Starter Accounts.

OMG Summer Is Almost Over!!!

... and thank you for being a valued subscriber and neighbor in our community!

Don't forget to share our newsletter link with your neighbors at

https://newsletter.themadisonmemo.com

We appreciate any suggestions or recommendations you may have, so feel free to reply to this email with your feedback.

We also have sections for recipes, job opportunities, events and much much more that we'll be rolling out in the future. So stay tuned!

We are also looking for Community Contributors. If you are interested, go here and signup.

If you have read this far, you may wonder why there isn't any news about accidents, hate and crime and it's because there is just too much of that everywhere else. We want this newsletter to bring you kind awareness and also to help spread joy and information on your Sunday!

Thank you for your support

- Robert

Cicadas primarily feed on tree sap.