Author: Debbie Roney Smith

Keep PCB clean up~July 5th

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What are you doing this Sunday? If it doesn’t rain maybe you could consider going to help Keep PCB Beautiful who will be hosting a special beach cleanup this weekend. The public is invited to join the organization at Beach Access 5 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, July 5th for its 3rd Annual Robbie Atchinson Memorial Beach Cleanup.This cleanup is at beach access 5 just west of Schooners. Parking available in Schooners overflow lot or lot on Thomas Drive. Look for the beach cleanup parking signs. They will have lots of giveaways. Officials with Keep PCB Beautiful say they chose the Sunday after July 4 because they felt it would do the most good after the major holiday. Buckets, pickers, and water stations to fill up reusable water bottles will be available. Keep PCB Beautiful will also have plastic gloves available for those that want them and will sanitize supplies before and after the event.

40 volunteers picked up 200 pounds of trash at last year’s event!

Keep PCB Beautiful is a group of locals working to keep PCB clean from the beach to the street. We are working to inspire individuals and businesses to improve the community and the natural environment. We are affiliated with Keep America Beautiful and Keep Florida Beautiful to accomplish our goals. Keep PCB Beautiful was a vision of 12 people who came together because of a passion for the beauty of the Gulf of Mexico and the beautiful beaches of Panama City Beach Florida. For more information about them click this link: https://www.keeppcbbeautiful.org/

 

New~Panama City ER~Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center

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This new freestanding emergency room will be a new choice for your emergent needs in Bay County and the surrounding communities. It will provide the top quality medical services you have come to know through our Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center facilities. Panama City ER is a full-service emergency department featuring 11 private rooms and is located at 3711 U.S. Highway 231 near Transmitter Rd. They opened just this week on June 29th. Telephone: (850) 769-8341 Website :https://gcmc-pc.com/service/panama-city-er

Panama City ER will feature:
State-of-the-art emergency department open 24/7
Adult/pediatric emergency care
Staffed by physicians specializing in emergency medicine on-site
Emergency-trained nurses
11 private exam rooms
Designated cardiac/respiratory resuscitation room
Diagnostic imaging on-site, including CT scanner, ultrasound, and x-ray
Laboratory services on-site

Plan to watch fireworks on July 3rd and 4th

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This isn’t a complete list but here are a few places, times, and dates fireworks are still scheduled even with COVID-19 still closing a lot of places down. Please don’t go if you are sick, stay 6 to 12 feet away from others, and wash hands often. Please consider wearing a mask to protect others.

~Marianna will celebrate the Fourth of July on July 3. The City of Marianna and Main Street Marianna are hosting the 10th Annual Fireworks Celebration. This year’s event will be at the MERE Complex on Caverns Road. Everyone can view the show from their cars and will be asked to remain in their cars for the duration of the event. The firework show will begin at 9 p.m

~The City of Slocomb invites everyone to an Independence Fireworks Celebration at the Slocomb Recreation Park on Saturday, July 4th . There will be a DJ from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. and a fireworks display to finish the evening celebration. This will be a FREE ADMISSION show. Enjoy from your vehicle, chairs, or blanket. Social distancing will be observed.

~Geneva will host a Fourth of July celebration beginning at 4 p.m. on July 4. A car parade and car show will begin at 4 p.m. Fireworks will start at 8 p.m. There will be food and vendors. The event is being held at Robert Fowler Park.

~Dothan will celebrate Fireworks at the Fairgrounds on July 4th. The event will be at the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds. Gates open at 7 p.m. Fireworks display will begin at 9 p.m. $10 parking benefits the Wiregrass United Way. This is a parking lot only event this year.

~Fort Rucker celebrates America’s birthday with the July 4 Celebration and Home Town Parade! This year’s celebration will include a parade through the housing areas July 4 at 5 p.m. and will finish up at 9 p.m. with a fireworks display reminiscent of past Freedom Fests. Due to the pandemic, this year’s event is open to Department of Defense ID card holders only. There will be judging will be based on the following categories: Most Patriotic Float • Top Military Family Float • Best Small Float• Best Large Float • Community Spirit Float.

~Headland will be hosting its Annual Fireworks Event at 8:30pm at Douglas Park on July 4th. Please, remember to social distance yourself from other event goers and feel free to wear a mask.

~July 4th Celebration at 4C BBQ located at 1045 US Highway 331 S, DeFuniak Springs. 7 to 10pm

~Mexico City July 4th. Read the attached photo for all details about this location.

 

Marianna has a new Fire Chief

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Marianna City Manager Jim Dean has appointed William Michael Hall Jr. as the Marianna Fire Department’s (MFR) new Fire Chief. Fire Chief Hall began his new role as the leader of the department on June 22. The appointment follows the departure of Nakeya Lovett, who had served as fire chief since 2012.

Michael Hall was formerly a fire protection specialist with the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office prior to his appointment. Hall began his fire service career in 2011 as a firefighter at Marianna Fire Department. He is a Jackson County native and graduated from Cottondale High School in 2009. Hall attended Chipola College, where he earned an associate degree (2010), firefighter I and II certification, EMT certification, law enforcement certification, and several others. He also attended Florida State Fire College, where he took multiple advanced fire courses. Hall holds state and national certifications as a firefighter, EMT, fire inspector, fire officer, plans examiner, and more. He is also a member of the Florida Fire Marshals and Inspectors Association and Florida Fire Chiefs Association.

Hall will lead 23 members of Marianna Fire Department, which consists of six auxiliary firefighters, six firefighters, five driver/operators, three captains, one fire marshal/training officer, one administrative assistant, and the chief, operating out of two stations.

Leave No Trace ordinance in Bay County

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The “Leave No Trace” ordinance created several years ago was meant to keep the beaches clean, but this summer It’s taken on a new meaning. This year‘s “Leave No Trace” brochure was revealed at Tuesday’s Bay County Tourist Development Council meeting on June 9th. As in year’s past, it includes the beach flag warning system and reminds visitors to remove personal items off the sand at night, but this year’s brochure also has an entire side devoted to COVID-19. It reminds visitors of important things like social distancing and keeping hand sanitizer with them. The brochures will be given to beach goers by beach ambassadors, but there’s also talk of placing them in hotel and motel guest rooms.

The Leave No Trace ordinance in Panama City Beach prohibits tents and personal property on the beach at night and anything left unattended will be removed by authorities. Nightly patrols have started to make sure people are not leaving their items unattended. Panama City Beach mayor Mark Sheldon said items will be thrown away if they are left on the beach. “Leave No Trace is a very important thing on Panama City Beach, it’s the way that we can make sure our beaches get cleaned every night, it’s the way that we can rake the beaches for the next day, we have that ordinance out there, in place to make sure we have the prettiest beaches in northwest Florida,” said Mayor Sheldon. Authorities will be patrolling the beach from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and this is currently in effect and active year-round.

June 27th~Dance in the Park

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What are you doing tonight? If you have nothing planned this sounds like fun. Free event! Join Agape Ballet & Performing Arts for there annual Dance in the Park! Bring your lawn chairs & blankets and enjoy a beautiful sunset performance by the Agape Ballet dancers.  Starts at 7pm at the Citizens Lodge Park in Marianna, located at 4574 Lodge Drive. Scheduled to last till 8:30pm.

June 27th~

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Second Harvest of the Big Bend will be back to distribute free food to feed Gulf County families in need on Saturday, June 27, 2020, at 10 am CST. The distribution location is Carter Temple Church at 308 Williamsburg Ave in Wewahitchka. Volunteers are needed beginning at 9:00 am to help feed as many families as possible. Can you help? Volunteers are asked to bring their own face mask and gloves if possible. Sign up to Volunteer at  https://www.mobilize.us/gulfcountydems/event/279208/2.

Also on Saturday, June 27th is Melons in the Park. From 7am to 12pm at Madison Street Park in Marianna. First 100 people will recieve a free insulated grocery bag from Farm Credit. Read the flyer below for more information.

 

Lightning Safety Awareness Week~ June 21-27

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It’s Lightning Safety Awareness Week! Dangerous weather is not uncommon this time of year. If thunder roars, go indoors! If you can hear thunder, you’re in the danger zone – lightning can strike as far as 10 miles from rainfall. Play it safe with summer storms.

Thunderstorms are dangerous weather systems that include lightning and can also produce power winds of more than 50 mph, create hail, and can cause flash flooding and tornadoes.Lightning is one of the leading causes of injury and death from weather-related hazards. Although most lightning victims survive, people struck by lightning often report a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms. Although the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are less than one in one million, some factors can put you at greater risk. Lightning most often strikes people who work outside or engage in outdoor recreational activities. Regional and seasonal differences can also affect your risk of being injured by lightning. Last year, in 2019, 20 people in 13 states died from lightning strikes. All of the lightning-strike incidents happened while individuals were outside; six were involved in water activities.

You can protect yourself from severe thunderstorms even if you’re caught outdoors when lightning is close by. Have a lightning safety plan.
If the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity. Remember: When thunder roars, go indoors. Find a safe, enclosed shelter. Don’t forget the 30-30 rule. After seeing lightning, start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30, go indoors. Suspend activities for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder. If no shelter is available, crouch low, with as little of your body touching the ground as possible. Lightning causes electric currents along the top of the ground that can be deadly up to, and exceeding, 100 feet away. Avoid concrete floors and walls. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring. Outside dog houses are not lightning-safe. Dogs that are chained to trees or wire runners can easily fall victim to lightning strikes. Consider bringing your pets inside the home or garage during thunderstorms.

~Never drive or walk through flooded roadways. Turn Around Don’t Drown®. It takes just six inches of fast-moving water to knock an adult down, and one foot of moving water can sweep away most vehicles. ~If indoors, avoid running water or using landline phones. Electricity can travel through plumbing and telephone lines. ~Wait 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder before going back outside after the storm.

For more information click here: https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning

 

Lynn Haven Opened it’s Splash pads for the 2020 Season

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Lynn Haven residents and their children now have another place to get some relief from the heat. The splash pads at Kinsaul Park and Cain Griffin Park are now open for the 2020 season, admission is free. They opened Monday at 10:00 a.m.

The city is still following the CDC recommended guidelines, and officials ask that the public continue to follow public heath officials recommendations.
Families were excited to once again have a safe place to take their children and meet with others. Officials said that traffic at the park was light but constant, which gave the visitors plenty of space to have fun.

GymTrix Athletics in Marianna

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GymTrix Athletics had a open house/registration day this past weekend. They open for classes on July 6th. They are located at 2976 Pennsylvania Avenue​​ in Marianna. ​You can call them at: 315-800-3213

They are a Veteran-Owned, dedicated Gymnastics Facility Offering the Following:

Preschool gymnastics
Beginner through advanced gymnastics
Special needs gymnastics classes
Competitive gymnastics team program
Gymnastics day camps
Private gymnastics lessons
Private birthday parties

You can learn more by clicking the link below:

https://www.gymtrixathletics.com/