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Today is National Dog Day! It was founded by Colleen Paige in 2004 to celebrate ALL dogs, be they mutts, mixed, or purebred. Paige wanted to bring awareness to the number of dogs in need of rescuing every year. It is also a day meant to educate the public on fostering, adopting, healthcare, petcare, and the danger of dog breeding.
Visit the National Dog Day website for more information, and hug a dog today!
on Looking to try a new, fun type of fitness? A local gym, the Chipola Fitness Center, offers a variety of courses weekly.
Barefoot Basics is a low-impact class designed to help increase balance via stretching and toning. Dance Fit 2 is a high-intensity music fitness course. Mash-up follows Variable-intensity Interval Training (VIIT), a program including mind/body, agility and strength, and high-intensity intervals to make the most of your time. If you’re looking to strengthen and tone, take part in the Muscle Up class. Power Up is designed for early risers; Power Up your day with this 5am course! Total Body fitness is just as it sounds – a class designed to work the body head to toe.
The Fitness Center also offers a variety of Spin Classes but they are often very limited, so membership is required for early online booking. The offered classes are Fun FriYa Spin, Pedal & Crunch, Spin Scultp, Spinergy, and Total Body Spin. For more detailed information on spin courses, more details on gym membership, and more, visit the official Chipola Fitness website.
on Located at 2100 Bear Paw Lane in Marianna, Bear Paws Adventures offers a natural river float trip in kayaks, canoes, or tubes. They offer equipment rentals and shuttles. Pricing is as follows:
Visit their official website for more detailed information on pricing and to familiarize yourself with the service rules on parking.
on Settled by travelers from Georgia and the Carolinas around 1824, Greenwood remains one of the most historic and picturesque small Florida towns. Make a day of going to the lovely community, and perhaps stop to see some historic sites. There are a number of preserved historic structures; among the most infamous are those listed below:
Great Oaks, 1860: Greek Revival mansion; owned by Bryan family. (Private)
Hayes Long Mansion, ca. 1840: antebellum structure. A historical marker details the rich history of the home. (Private)
Erwin House, ca. 1830s: oldest standing home in the region. A historical marker on Fort Road provides an outline of its history. (Private)
Pender Store, 1896: one of the oldest operating stores in Florida. (Open to Public)
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Recent rain and perfect summer weather call for a trip to Ocheesee Pond in Grand Ridge! Kayaking is a must-do at this local. To get to the launch site, head east from Marianna on Highway 90 and turn right on Highway 69. Then, after crossing the railroad tracks in Grand Ridge, take a left onto 69A and follow it to the dirt road on the left marked Arkansas. Marking the spot is a boat ramp sign marking the turn.
Don’t attempt this pond alone if you haven’t done it previously, as after a short half-mile paddle through the clear water, there is a maze-like cypress swamp. There is a marker system but they are often difficult to spot and irregular. However, the kayaking route is a beautiful trip. Amongst the cypress tree-maze are aquatic glades of water lily and spatterdock that give the water a splash of seasonal color. There are often basking turtles, elusive alligators on the prowl, duck sightings, and a plethora of osprey and woodpeckers.
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Chautauqua Vineyards & Winery is Florida Farm Winery Certified. They produce wine from Carlos Muscadine and Noble Muscadine grapes that have been growing since 1979. Conveniently located next to I-10 in DeFuniak Springs, the winery offers free grape picking, a gift shop full of unique items, and a tasting bar.
The winery is family-friendly – bring the kids! Juices are served for anyone under the age of 21. Pets are welcome permitted they are leashed or held, and they are not allowed in the tasting area. They regularly host tastings and events, alongside being open daily (except for major holidays).
Want to place an order for home delivery or learn more about the Vineyards? Visit the official Chautauqua Vineyards & Winery website.
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Today is National Thrift Store Day! Looking to celebrate? Visit a local thrift store to support your community and maybe find your new favorite treasure! For instance, perhaps visit the recently opened Fusion Church Thrift Store in Blountstown. They are located at 17256 N. Main Street, Tuesday through Saturday. For more detailed information, visit their Facebook webpage.
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The center of tupelo honey production is the Apalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle which makes tupelo honey a local honey star! Tupelo honey is a very special form of honey that has a lower glucose content with a very small harvesting window which makes it a more expensive alternative to the general store-bought honey. It is also known as Ogeechee tupelo due to the popular growing region; there are thousands of hectares of Ogeechee tupelo have been planted in bee farms along the lower Apalachicola River and around swamps where it grows naturally.
Tupelo has an incredible amber color alongside a sweet taste and aroma. It is high-grade honey that is good for the digestive and immune system, as well as working for those dressing wounds. Tupelo honey gets its name from the tupelo tree species, a nod to the fact it is harvested from the specific tupelo tree species Nyssa ogeche. Tupelos are popular ornamental trees because they offer form, flowers from March to May, shade, and autumn leaf colors. Honey is only harvestable for a short period of 2-3 weeks and is heavily subjected to poor weather.
on Today is National Prosecco Day, an annual event founded in 2011 by Riondo Prosecco. It is a day dedicated to the celebration of prosecco, a sparkling wine perfect for a summer evening. It is a versatile wine that is bright and bubbly, often with pleasing fruit or floral flavor.
Prosecco is made from the Glera grape. It is believed to have been cultivated in the Italian village of Prosecco in Trieste circa the 16th century. Nowadays, the best prosecco is actually located about 2-3hours away from Trieste near Venice; this area is called the Prosecco region (also known as the DOCG Prosecco region).
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Jackson County has been nominated for a new dog park grant but requires the assistance of the community to win this grant. You can vote ONCE A DAY every day until August 31st. Jackson County has proposed 4574 Lodge Drive as the location for their future dog park. In the city of Marianna alone, there are five pet salons, two animal hospitals, one animal shelter, and one pet daycare resort – truly, a city of dog lovers! However, this animal-loving community has no place to take their dogs for social interaction and playtime. The Bark for Your Park grant, sponsored by the PetSafe Brand, would fund a fenced-in off-leash dog park at the Citizen’s Lodge Park; it would be about a half-acre in size and feature benches for seating, a watering station, shade structure, and a dog waste collection station.
Visit the voting link for Marianna’s dog park location to register your vote!