Author: Debbie Roney Smith

FL Scallop, Music, & Arts Festival

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Celebrate Labor Day weekend by feasting on freshly harvested St. Joseph’s Bay scallops with the ambiance of two days of live music. The Florida Scallop, Music, and Arts Festival is happening September 2-3 at George Core Park.

The festival lineup includes John Del Toro Richardson, Memphis Lightning, the Bo Spring Band, Damon Fowler, and more! The festival kicks off the Port St. Joe scallop season which runs from August 16 through September 24. If you have a fishing license, you can dive for your own dinner! Make sure to bring your mask, snorkeling gear, and eagle eyes because most finds are hidden in seagrasses in four to six feet of water.

Learn more by visiting the event website HERE. 

National Dog Day 2023

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Duke, one of Debbie’s furry family members.

National Dog Day was first established in 2004 by pet advocate Colleen Paige. Now, it is an annual celebration of our beloved pets and a day of advocacy for those who are waiting for their forever homes in shelters or foster homes. In honor of our four-legged friends, let’s look at some quick dog facts!

JD, another of Debbie’s dogs.
  • A dog’s nose print is unique, much like a person’s fingerprint.
  • Speaking of noses, a dog’s nose has as many as 300 million receptors! For reference, a human nose has about 5 million.
  • Dogs curl up in a ball when sleeping to protect their organs — a genetic instinct that lingers from their days in the wild when they were vulnerable to predator attacks during sleeping hours.
  • Dogs are not actually color-blind. They can see blue and yellow! 
  • When dogs kick backward after they go to the bathroom, they are not covering their excrement but marking their territory using scent glands in their feet. 

Two Egg: Home of a Hollywood Star

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Faye Dunaway, a renowned stage and film actress, was born in Two Egg, Florida. Many accounts list the nearby town of Bascom as her hometown. However, this is because Two Egg was too small to have a post office so mail was delivered out of Bascom. Dunaway spent most of her younger years in the now-crumbling Two Egg farmhouse that she called home. When speaking about her first big Hollywood hit, Dunaway had this to say:

“That movie touched the core of my being. Never have I felt so close to a character as I felt to Bonnie. She was a yearning, edgy, ambitious southern girl who wanted to get out of wherever she was. I knew everything about wanting to get out, and the getting out doesn’t come easy.” 

Dunaway’s works include the infamously controversial Mommie Dearest (1981), the blockbuster film Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), The Arrangement (1969), the neo-noir mystery Chinatown (1974), The Towering Inferno (1974), the political thriller Three Days of the Condor (1975), and the Network (1976) – amongst many other films and Broadway performances. 

Taco & Tequila Fest

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The annual Jax Taco and Tequila Fest is coming soon! From September 2-3, visit the Metropolitan Park from 3-11pm. The annual event is most famous for its Grand Sampling Experience which includes over 40 craft tequila distillers pouring samples twice each day. Is Tequila not to your taste? The Fest includes two days of live music headlined by Big Boi, Gym Class Heroes, Iration, and Lupe Fiasco. There will also be immersive art performances, complimentary dance lessons, cultural music, and a silent disco party featuring dueling DJS and an immersive light experience. And, of course, tacos! Get your tickets HERE or learn more at the event website. 

Celebrate Ice Cream

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Today is National Soft Ice Cream Day! This annual event celebrates ice cream and all the happy memories it has facilitated. Remember late-night ice cream runs with friends? Enjoying the first cone of the summer? The joy of dippin’ dots when visiting NASA? Ice cream pops up in the happiest of places. 

Ice cream wasn’t available to the general public until the 1800s thanks to the creation of ice houses and other cold storage constructions. Nowadays, it’s a lot easier to enjoy your favorite soft serve. Looking for a creamery to visit today in celebration? While you can find chain creameries such as Baskin Robbins and Dairy Queen almost anywhere, visiting locally-owned ice cream parlors is worthy of a special occasion. See the list below for some suggestions across the Florida Panhandle.

Tallahassee Beer Festival 2023

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The 5th annual Tallahassee Beer Festival is next Saturday, August 26th. Held at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, the festival will run from 2-6pm. There will be over 100 homebrewers and breweries taking part in the Festival; they will feature over 300 different fermentations to sample. For those guests who don’t care for beer, there will be ciders, meads, sparking sodas, and wines available.

All guests will receive a souvenir-tasting glass. There will also be a Beer Mile; ambitious guests can register to take part in a one-mile race where participants drink a 12-ounce beer after each quarter-mile loop. All proceeds will benefit the United Partners for Human Services. Learn more by visiting the Festival website HERE. 

 

National Black Cat Appreciation Day

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Tomorrow is National Black Cat Appreciation Day! Black cats have a long, varied history among the civilizations of the world. Black cats are positive omens for some cultures while symbolizing bad luck in others. Perhaphs the most prevalent lore around black cats here in the USA is their believed connection to witches. This supersition was brought to the United States by the Puritans; they believed that all black cats were shape-shifting witches. The fear was so strong it became common to burn black cats on Shrove Tuesday to protect one’s home from fires. 

Nowadays, black cats are just as treasured and precious as any of our beloved pets. However, they still face predjuce due to centuries of misconceptions; they are more likely to be euthanized at kill-shelters and are the least likely to be adopted. There are a number of studies demonstrating the “black cat bias.”

Celebrate black cats by: 

  • Sharing adoptable black cats on social media.
  • Volunteer time or resources to local shelters.
  • Adopt, don’t shop!
  • Share a fun fact about black cats. 

Cumberland Island Boat Tours

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Amelia River Cruises are doing boat tours of Cumberland Island daily throughout August. You’ll get to see coastal Georgia and Cumberland Island along the coast of Amelia Island. This tour delves into the unique history of both islands as it cruises along the coast. It leaves from historic Fernandina at 2:30pm and gives an oceanfront view of Fort Clinch followed by the ruins of the Carnegie family’s Dungeoness Mansion. Guests might also spot wildlife such as dolphins, osprey, roseate spoonbills, and more. Guests will not be getting off the boat, so come fully prepared; bring your camera, binoculars, shade protection, sunscreen, snacks, and drinks (non-alcoholic). Learn more or book by visiting the Amelia River Cruises website. 

Skimboarding Tournament

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Come out to Vilano Beach for two full days of skim-boarding heats (Aug. 19-20th). The Florida Skimboarding Pro/Am is the third-longest-running tournament in the world! Some of the world’s best skimboarders come out to enjoy the Atlantic Ocean’s surface during this event. Athletes from more than 75 different beaches from all over Florida, the USA, and the world come for the Florida Pro/Aam. Due to weather and tides, the timing of each day’s heats are subject to change. Check the website for the most up-to-date information; click here to visit the website.