Author: Debbie Roney Smith

Arbor Day 2024

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Arbor Day is only a week away! Arbor Day is a holiday that celebrates the planting, upkeep, and preservation of trees. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska; they planted approximately 1 million trees! Within 20 years, Arbor Day spread throughout the nation to every state save Deleware. In 1883, it spread internationally to Japan, Europe, Canada, and further. It became a national holiday in 1970 during Nixon’s presidency, and is now a treasured annual event across the globe.

Click the image to learn more about Forests and Carbon!

The need for trees is ever-growing. According to UN Forestry Data, around ten million hectares of forest are destroyed globally every year; for reference, that’s an area the size of Portugal! Around half of the deforestation is offset by regrowing forests, so overall there’s a loss of around five million hectares each year. Imagine if we could bridge the gap; 1 hectare of #forest captures anywhere from 2-5 tonnes of #CO2 a year (this depends on several factors such as the rate of growth, the age of the forest, location, number of trees, and more). According to a 2019 survey, adding nearly 1 billion hectares of forest could remove two-thirds of the roughly 300 gigatons of carbon humans have added to the atmosphere since the 1800s.

Adding forests wouldn’t just sequester carbon; forests provide a host of added benefits including enhanced biodiversity, improved water quality, reduced erosion, improved air quality, and more. Forests can help provide jobs, recreation areas, and can attract tourists for everything from one-of-a-kind views to rare bird species. And it might sound cliche, but a forest starts with you.

So this Arbor Day, get your hands dirty and plant a tree! Visit the Arbor Day Foundation event map to see what’s happening in your area. 

Camellia Show

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The Camellia Show and Sale is happening next weekend. Join the American Camellia Society at the Ocala chapter’s annual show on January 28th and 29th. It will be held at Fort King Presbyterian Church. While the exhibition will not be a judged show this year, there will still be a number of winning blooms available for viewing. Plants will be for sale from 9am to 4pm on Saturday and 1pm to 4pm on Sunday. Learn more by visiting the Facebook event page here. 

Grill Kings: Butts & Clucks

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Florida’s “winter season” is the perfect time to stand over a hot grill for hours on end and enjoy the delicacies those grills can make. Are you looking for a celebration of barbeque? Check out Butts & Clucks, Apalachicola’s annual BBQ festival. Today and tomorrow, come by 1 Battery Park. There will be four smoked meat categories with $12,000 in cash and prizes. Not a nationally-renowned grill master? No worries! Come out to enjoy a variety of delicious food vendors (BBQ and more!) or shop for merchandise. Learn more by visiting the festival website here.

Houseplants 101

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Caroline Manuel and Rosey Melucci will be hosting a Houseplants 101 workshop at Native Nurseries in Tallahassee. The workshop will be held on January 21st at 10am. Houseplants can improve the aesthetics of a home or porch AND improves air quality. Manuel and Melucci will be sharing their favorite, easy-to-grow houseplants, how to care for them, and more! Registration is REQUIRED for this event; call the nursery at (850) 386-8882 to secure your spot. Call soon as the class is limited to 15 people. 

Please note: parking for the workshop is in the secondary parking lot. Use the driveway next door to the nursery with the ‘Workshop Parking’ sign seen from Centerville Rd. For more information, visit the Facebook event page here. 

National Gourmet Coffee Day

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National Gourmet Coffee Day is celebrated on January 18 every year. Gourmet coffee is specifically made using 100% Arabica coffee beans and is renowned for its quality and consistency of flavor. Looking to try a cup of gourmet coffee today? The list below curates coffee shops in the Florida Panhandle and surrounding areas that reportedly carry/have carried Arabica coffee beans. Or, consider buying online and brewing at home!

 

ReTreePC Tree Giveaway

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ReTree Panama City is working with the UF|IFAS Extension Office to give away free trees this coming weekend. While supplies last, there will be 3-gallon Sweetbay Magnolias and Tulip Poplars available to residents. IFAS Master Gardeners will be on-site to answer questions you may have about the trees’ growing condition. The giveaway will be held on January 21st and will be held at two locations: The Market at St. Andrews at Oaks by the Bay Park and Panama City Farmer’s Market at McKenzie Park. The giveaway begins at 9am at McKenzie Park and 10am at The Market at St. Andrews. For information specific to the St. Andrews giveaway, visit this Facebook event page. For information specific to McKenzie Park, visit this Facebook event page.

Hoggetowne Medieval Faire

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Gainesville’s 36th annual renaissance festival starts tomorrow! Hoggetowne Medieval Faire will be held at 9409 SW Archer Rd for the next three weekends. Open January 14-15, 20-21, and 27-29, come by to bring 2023 in ye olde style. There will be NINE stages with live entertainment including full-flight falconry, aerial acrobatics, jugglers, knife throwers, and gypsy dancers. Over 160 artisans and craftsmen will be selling one-of-a-kind jewelry, stone carvings, leather crafts, and period fashions in the medieval marketplace. But that’s not all! There will also be living chess board matches, carnival rides, and a fully-stocked food court. Look forward to trying blooming onions, giant turkey legs, fresh-baked pastries, sweet potato fries, succulent ribs, and MORE. Learn more by visiting the Faire website here.

AUDITIONS: The Addams Family

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Director Stephen Lott is hosting auditions for the Addams Family (showing March 17 – April 2, 2023). Auditions will be held January 16-18th. The show plot is as follows:

A comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and it’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family– a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before– keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.

To prepare for the audition, prepare 16 – 24 bars (one verse and a chorus) of a song in musical theatre style. This is a tracked musical, so please prepare a tracked audition piece. There will be a speaker provided or you can bring your own (use karaoke or accompaniment tracks only). Choose a song that enhances and shows off your singing skills. You may also be asked to take part in movement or dance auditions where the choreographer will ask you to learn a few steps. No a capella auditions.

Please visit the Facebook event page to find detailed casting information or sign up for auditions here.

National Cut Energy Costs Day

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Yesterday was National Cut Your Energy Costs Day. It was established by the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance. Celebrated annually, it is designed to bring awareness to energy waste in businesses and homes. According to the mortgage company Freddie Mac, an average U.S. family spends $2,200 per year on energy bills. Cutting your energy waste helps you save money. Find a few suggestions below of changes you can make in your home to save more money in the long run:

  • Buy a programmable thermostat.
  • Switch to LED lights. They might cost twice as much as CFL bulbs, but they last three times longer.
  • Check that your appliances are energy efficient or choose energy efficient when you buy new/used appliances. 
  • Consider houseplants. They help reduce energy waste via transpiration.(1)
  • Every 3 months, check your appliances for dust build-up. Clean if necessary. This helps the unit perform efficiently.
  • Kill phantom energy loads (aka “vampire/ghost power” or “standby power”) by unplugging certain electronics/appliances when they are not in use. An estimated 5-10% of residential energy is used for standby power.(1) Visit this Green Groundswell article to learn which electronics consume standby power.

30A Songwriters Festival

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The annual 30A Songwriters Festival is coming soon! A weekend party will feature a who’s who of singer-songwriters from different decades AND genres. The event headliners include Lyle Lovett, Gin Blossoms, Rickie Lee Jones, Yola, Steve Earle, and Morgan Wade. There will also be over 175 artists, 225 performances, and 30 different venues over the four-day festival. Come down to South Walton on January 13-16th to enjoy the music and a variety of local food vendors. Learn more by visiting the Festival website here.