ELLIJAY, Ga., April 17, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Appalachian Bancshares Inc. (NasdaqGM:APAB - News) today announced it will release its first quarter financial results on Thursday, May 1, 2008, prior to the opening of the stock market.

The company will also hold a conference call at 11:00 a.m. ET on May 1, 2008, to discuss its financial results and strategic initiatives. The conference call can be accessed by phone at 1-800-860-2442 and by webcast through the company's website, http://www.apab.com, by clicking on the Investor Relations section. A replay of the call will be archived on the company's website for one year.

About Appalachian Bancshares Inc.

The Company is based in Ellijay, Georgia, and is the holding company of Appalachian Community Bank, a Georgia state-chartered bank, and Appalachian Community Bank, F.S.B., a federally-chartered thrift. The Company, through Appalachian Community Bank (which also operates in Gilmer County, Georgia, under the trade name of Gilmer County Bank) and Appalachian Community Bank, F.S.B., provides a full range of community banking services to individuals and to small- and medium-sized businesses through its thirteen banking offices, located in Ellijay, East Ellijay, Blue Ridge, Blairsville, Chatsworth, Dawsonville, McCaysville, Dahlonega and Dalton, Georgia, and in Ducktown, Tennessee, and Murphy, North Carolina. The Company's common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol APAB. For more information, please visit the Company's website at http://www.apab.com.

          Appalachian Bancshares Inc.
          Cathy Murphy
          706-276-8160
          CAMurphy@apab.com