Author: Debbie Roney Smith

Covid-19~phone number the health department will be calling from

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The Florida Department of Health is urging all Floridians to answer calls from (833) 917-2880 as this is part of Florida’s comprehensive contact tracing effort. If you receive a call from this number they are saying it is important that you speak to a contact tracer regarding potential COVID-19 exposure.

The newest catch phrase seems to be remember the 3 C’s. Avoid close spaces, crowded-spaces, and close-contact situations. And as always wash hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water, cough into your elbow, and don’t go into public if possible while you are sick.

~August~

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August is known for many things, including the dog days of summer, National Watermelon Day (Aug. 3) and National Smile Week (Aug. 5-11). But there are many other fun facts associated with summer’s last full month. The month of August is often referred to as the “dog days of summer” but not because of pet pooches. It has to do with the star Sirius, also known as the dog star, which rose at the same time as sunrise during the month of August in ancient Roman times.

~August is named after Augustus Caesar, founder and the first emperor of the Roman Empire, who was posthumously adopted by his maternal great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar. In the early Roman calendar, August was actually the sixth month of the year. It was originally 30 days in length, but an extra day was added so that it would equal the number of days in July, which was named after Julius Caesar.

~August has two birthstones: peridot and sardonyx. Peridot is among the oldest known gemstones and is green in color. Sardonyx, which is lesser-known, is a white- and brown-banded gemstone once believed to have mystical powers.

~The official flower for August is the gladiolus. These vertical-growing flowers were named from the Latin “gladius,” meaning a sword.

~Fans of Elvis Presley mourn each Aug. 16th, the day the famed singer died in 1977.

~People born in August fall under the sun zodiac signs of Leo and Virgo. Leos are known to be dramatic, creative and outgoing. Virgos have acute attention to detail and are the people most likely to dedicate themselves to serving. They also are loyal, hardworking and analytical.

~On Aug. 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Gallery and not recovered for two years.

~Although civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., is honored in January, when he was born, he is best known for his famed “I have a dream” speech, which was given on Aug. 28, 1963.

~Some famous people born in August include Martha Stewart, Martin Sheen, Jeff Gordon, Deion Sanders. Matthew Perry, John Stamos, Magic Johnson, Patrick Swayze, and Halle Berry.

Happy last month of the summer~

Springfield School Museum

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The Springfield School Museum is located on Union Road just west of Marianna, not far from Jackson County’s first county seat of Webbville in the community known as Springfield. While the museum is not open on a regular basis, tours can be arranged through Lillie Clark, who owns LMC Impressions and The Gallery of Art just north of the schoolhouse on Safari Road. She can be reached at 850-263-3111.
Lillie Clark, Mary Beechim, and Elease Varner are all residents of Springfield that have worked diligently to receive funding for restoration of the schoolhouse through grant opportunities made available by the Bureau of Historic Preservation Division of Historical Resources and with assistance provided by the Florida Historical Commission. Many of the original interior furnishings of the school were carefully preserved over time and are used in the present day museum, such as the desks and pews. The original floors and walls were also very carefully preserved, something Lillie Clark doted on in a 2019 interview with Jackson County Times, referring to the schoolhouse being left in “mint condition”. As with any historic structure, original pieces that have been preserved are considered highly valuable, but it is even more so in the case of the limestone walls of the 1920s schoolhouse, constructed out of local limestone blocks. Waddell’s Mill Pond, which is visible from the rear of the schoolhouse, was the source for some of these limestone blocks which Mary Beechim’s brother helped bring up to the school. Mary and her siblings also attended the school during their childhood, allowing for the preservation of memories and experiences of days gone by.

World Day against Trafficking in Persons~July 30th

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Today is an international day of recognition for human trafficking crimes. The World Day against Trafficking in Persons is dedicated to bringing awareness to the horrific crime that is human abduction and trafficking. This is a global crime that targets and exploits women, men, and children for horrible purposes such as forced labor and sexual molestation. People may feel that this is the type of thing that only happens in specific areas or on TV crime shows or as a bad plot for action movies starring Liam Neeson – but the reality is much sadder and so horrific.

The Panhandle is not immune to human trafficking. In fact, just last November a Pensacola business owner named David C. Williams pleaded guilty to trafficking women to provide prostitution services out of his massage parlors (amongst other charges like money laundering). Additionally, the state of Florida is ranked SECOND in the country for highest number of human trafficking reports received by the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can bring awareness on how to spot human trafficking, report it, and fight it in your life and community, please check out the local organization Called2Rescue located in Pensacola. This non-profit organization as founded by Brad Dennis in 2013 and was created to “educate, empower and mobilize an alliance of local churches and community partners to search for and rescue trafficked and exploited persons in our area.” Additionally, the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking is an excellent source of information and resources.

Concert ~ July 30th

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Thursday from 6 PM – 9 PM at Citizens Lodge Park  Main Street Marianna, City of Marianna City Hall and 3 others are hosting an End of Summer Concert in the park. The band Heyword will be playing from 7-9 pm. Papa G’s and The Ice Box will be there vending starting at 6 pm. Social distancing will be in practice as you join them to bring an end to the summer. 

July 31st at 6pm

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The Gathering is hosting a night of hope. Friday, July 31st at 6pm at Hope Park on 159 Bear Creek Road in Eastpoint. They will have free food, fellowship, worship, dance, and word.

National Blueberry Month

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July is national blueberry month. Blueberries are native to North America, and they are grown in 35 out of 50 states. North America supplies blueberries to 95% of the world. Currently, the four-week harvesting between late March and April can supple the whole United States.

Why are blueberries considered to be a superfood? Eating just a quarter cup of blueberries daily can make a significant impact on your health. Here are a few facts about blueberries.

  • Blueberries are rich in antioxidants. They have the highest antioxidant capacity compared to other fruits. The powerful antioxidants in blueberries improve the immune system and prevent infections such as urinary tract infections.
  • Blueberries can help reduce the risk of cancer. They contain anthocyanin that gives them the dark hue, which is known to attack free radicals that cause cancer in the body.
  • Blueberries can help with weight loss. They are low in fat and sodium and are low in calories, with just about 80 calories per cup, making them a healthy, low-calorie snack.
  • Blueberries are also rich in Vitamin C that promotes tissue growth and wound healing. They provide about 25% of the daily requirement for vitamin c in one serving
  • Rich in manganese that supports bone development and helps the body to process cholesterol and convert carbohydrates to energy.
  • Blueberries are an excellent source of dietary fiber, which reduces the risk of heart diseases and obesity since it adds bulk to your diet and keeps you full longer. Three servings of blueberry a week can help to fight heart diseases, memory loss, and indigestion.
  • Blueberries are excellent for the brain. They improve brain health and reduce the risk of memory loss.

Did you know that blueberries, packed with fiber and antioxidants, have also been linked to reduced arthritis pain, improved joint flexibility, and lower levels of inflammation? Also a  great tip for teething tots is to freeze a container of blueberries and put in a netted teether for instant relief!

County Commissioner forum online ~ July 27th

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The Jackson County NAACP will be hosting the County Commissioner forum via zoom on Monday, July 27th from 6 to 8pm. For more information you can call 850-696-0599. The zoom meeting id # is 857-4109-1214, the passcode is 263232, and is going to be livestreamed on Jackson County NAACP Facebook page. Read this flyer for more information.

Wild oyster harvest from Apalachicola Bay has been suspended for 5 years

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Did you know North Florida’s oyster fisheries dates back to the 1800s and at one point produced 90 percent of Florida’s oysters and 10 percent of the nation’s oysters?

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has unanimously approved a plan to suspend commercial and recreational harvest of wild oysters from Apalachicola Bay for five years. The rule will go into effect on Aug. 1. Under the new rule, on-the-water possession of wild oyster harvesting equipment, such as hand tongs, would also be prohibited through December 31, 2025.

The rules only apply to wild oysters and do not apply to oyster aquaculture operations. Staff will return for a final public hearing at the October Commission meeting. FWC’s large-scale restoration project will be ongoing on for five years and the largest portion of funding, nearly $17 million, will go directly toward forming 1,000 acres of oyster reef habitat.

 

State Road 73 north renamed as Governor Mixson Highway in 2014

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Six-term Florida legislator and former Lt. Gov. Wayne Mixson passed earlier this month at the age of 98.

Mixson had adopted Jackson County as his home ground as a young adult, when he’d moved here from his native Alabama home and embraced the local community as his own. He married a local girl with deep roots in Jackson County’s history. His bride was Margie Grace. The town of Graceville was named for her forebears. The two met when she was 14 and he was 19. He had graduated high school by then and was off to the Navy soon after. They kept up a courtship by correspondence for the endurance of his military term, which included service in World War II. They married in 1947, the year he graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in business. They moved to Campbellton, where they bought a small farm and eventually expanded it to some 2,000 acres focused on peanuts, grain and cattle.

His success in the political world began in 1967, when he was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives. Mixson had served a decade in the House when, in his sixth consecutive term there, gubernatorial candidate Bob Graham selected him as his running mate. The two would win that bid for office, and served together in their respective roles from Jan.1979 to Jan.1987. Mixson also served as Graham’s Secretary of Commerce. Mixson had also served a role in politics for President Jimmy Carter, appointed by him as a special ambassador to Ecuador in 1979.

And for three days that last year with Graham, Lt. Gov. Mixson stood in as governor when Graham necessarily stepped from that high office to be sworn in as a newly elected U.S. Senator. That three-day term of service as the transitional figure ahead of Bob Martinez taking office would assure him a place in the annals of history as the governor with the shortest term on record. And, 27 years later, it would also be further cemented in the formal renaming of a local road. In 2014, the Florida Senate designated State Road 73 north as Governor Mixson Highway. It stretches from Calhoun County and extends through Jackson County to U.S. 231 near the Florida-Alabama line. It’s known as Jefferson Street in Marianna, CR 167 in the unincorporated areas of Jackson County, and Florida calls it State Road 73.

The gesture was meant to recognize Mixson’s career-long advocacy of the farm community by naming a designated farm-to-market artery in his honor. Once he moved to Florida, Mixson put his hand and mind to work for his adopted state and he has often been referred to as Florida’s “favorite son.”

“I had no idea it was being proposed until it happened. It was a real thrill. They picked the right road, if they were going to name one after me. I think the system of farm-to-market roads is so important. I reckon that to be equivalent to the advance of electricity because these are the roads that connect producers to the markets in town.”
Mixson was here for that 2014 road-naming ceremony, and spoke briefly, saying he was honored by it. “They must have known all about me and where I lived,” Mixson said at the time in an interview with the Floridan. “I took that road many many times, going to the farm, going fishing, and going to the beach. If I left the house, I was going to be on that road pretty soon. I appreciated the thought,” he said of the plan to name the road after him. “It just fit so well,” he said in 2014. “If they were going to name anything for me, it ought to have something to do with bringing agriculture out of the dark ages. I’m old enough to have plowed mules in Coffee County (Alabama), but I joined the mechanized age as soon as I could.”

Mixson also said at that time that he was the only “true dirt farmer” in the legislature during his six-year term. His roots in agriculture and his childhood years in the pre-WWII Depression would inform and serve him well during those years.

Mixson also mentored nephew Jason Shoaf, sharing his wisdom in the political arena. Shoaf is currently a seated state District 7 Representative from Port St. Joe and serves Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf, Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Taylor, parts of Leon and Wakulla counties.