Florence, AL — The first Swampette music tour of the year is set for Saturday, March 5, from 1 to 5 p.m. The popular tour, which starts at the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism & Visitor Center in McFarland Park, offers stops at FAME Studios, 3614 Jackson Highway and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Led by Judy Hood, wife of the Swampers’ bass player David Hood, the tour travels to each venue aboard the “Trolley of Tunes.” Tour cost is $35 per person.

An added feature to the March tour is a free mini-concert, open to the pubic, by local favorite Mitch Mann starting at noon. Born in Birmingham and raised in Lynn, Alabama, Mann began playing guitar at an early age. He studied Commercial Music at Northwest Shoals Community College in Phil Campbell, and in 2007, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Alabama. Since Mann moved to Muscle Shoals in 1993, he has added his succulent guitar and smoky vocals to groups such as Fiddleworms, Yellowhammer, Donnie Fritts and The Mojo Mixers. His album “Blackwater Creek” was released in 2015 and features guest appearances from Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie, Jeff Beck’s band), Scott Boyer (Cowboy) and Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay (Grateful Dead). A new Fiddleworms album was also released last year. CDs will be available for purchase at the event. The tour will start after the concert.

Additional public Swampette tour dates for 2016 are June 4, September 3 and December 3.

Seats are limited and tours fill quickly, so advanced reservations are recommended. Contact the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism Office at 256-740-4141.