Chain of Parks Art Festival

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The Chain of Parks Art Festival returns Saturday, April 23, and Sunday, April 24. The festival is held across the Bloxham, Lewis, and Randolph “chain of parks” in downtown Tallahassee. Attendees can view and purchase art from 150 carefully selected fine artists. There will also be a number of highlighted events including:

  • “The Village,” which features children’s art programs for young guests to participate in pop-up studios and make crafts
  • A Saturday Evening Groove, featuring Tallahassee Night Live from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23
  • A scavenger hunt, which will award the first 100 guests who complete the “festival passport” to win a prize
  • Four professional chalk artists from across the country who will create 3D chalk art for photo ops
  • A juried competition in which winning artists vie for $10,000 in awards
  • A live reenactment of Jacques Le Moyne in his French encampment

In celebration of Earth Day and through a longtime partnership with Sustainable Tallahassee, the festival will focus on four sustainability initiatives — education, reducing Styrofoam, reducing landfill waste, and reducing food waste. Festival hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 23, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, April 24.

To learn more about the Chain of Parks Art Festival, visit www.ChainofParks.com(1).

Managing Mosquitoes, Leon County

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Leon County has a mosquito control request form located HERE; services include truck sprays, larvicide applications, domestic inspections, and mosquito fish introductions. Residents can also request to be put on the NO SPRAY list at the previous link. Looking for ways you can curb mosquitoes at your home? Follow the 5 D’s!

Easter Egg Hunt (Vernon, FL)

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The City of Vernon’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt will be this Saturday, April 16th from 10 am to 2 pm. The Hunt will be held at the Vernon SportPlex. The Egg Hunt will begin at 11 am. Additionally, kids will be able to eat for free at 12 pm. The Farmers Market will be open on-site from 10 am to 2 pm.

If you are interested in achieving a vendor spot for the Farmers Market, Sponsorships of the event, or event donations – please get in touch with the Vernon Rec Department at (850) 260 – 4002 OR the City Hall at (850) 535 – 2444. Visit the Facebook event page here to stay up-to-date and learn more. 

Green Gate’s Marketplace Grand Opening

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Green Gate’s Marketplace is hosting a two-day GRAND OPENING event Friday and Saturday, April 15-16th. Milk & Honey Soft Serve, located in the same parking lot, is having its 10-year anniversary. There will be a ribbon-cutting at 10 am on Friday. Additionally, the first 25 purchasing customers will get a FREE Martin’s Harvest cooler bag; it will include local business and farm information inside. There will be a number of local businesses present during the hours of 10 am – 5 pm: Lazy Acres Family Farm, Martin’s Harvest, Red Hills Online Market, S&P Briar Patch, Lucky Goat Coffee, and Chautauqua Vineyards. Green Gate’s Marketplace hopes to be a connection between local farmers/small businesses and customers. There is more to come so stay tuned via the Facebook event page here.

Tallahassee Orthopedic Center

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Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic (TOC) Spine Center is the only comprehensive, multidisciplinary spine center in North Florida and South Georgia. They offer a comprehensive approach to spine, neck, and back conditions. TOC helps diagnose, treat, and alleviate neck, back, and joint pain by working with fellow providers of family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, physical therapy, chiropractic care, exercise/fitness programs, massage, and pain management to ensure comprehensive, complete care. Please note that they are currently only accepting patients with doctor referrals. Learn more about the practice, its doctors, and the referral process at the TOC website here.

Operation Egg Drop: Bonifay, FL

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Operation Egg Drop is this Saturday! Held at No Place Like Holmes Farm, this special Easter event starts at 1 pm and goes until 5 pm. There will be local businesses selling wares and providing services. The event will have live entertainment, food trucks, dessert trucks, inflatables, ax throwing, professional Easter Bunny photos, vendors, crafters, and full-size Mining Sluice. The Mobile Zoo crew will be available to help you make your own stuffed animals.

Additionally, there will be games such as giant Jenga, bigfoot blaster, giant checkers, cornhole, giant connect four, and more. Even better, there will be live animals, face painting, and thousands upon thousands of eggs dropped from helicopters! The cost of the ticket includes everything except sluice bags, bigfoot Blaster shots, food trucks, and Zoo Crew products. Tickets are $8 for ages 12 and up, $4 for ages 3-11, and free for under 3. Located at: 

No Place Like Holmes Farm
2387 Joe White Road,
Bonifay, Fl 32425

Bay County’s Waterway Cleanup

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Bay County Waterways (2008)

Bay County has pulled out more than 1.5 million pounds of marine debris from its waterways since Hurricane Michael (2018). Hondo Enterprises is working alongside FWC and the University of Florida IFAS Program to clear the bay of broken-down boats.

Derelict vessels are anything but beneficial. It can damage and destroy shoreline vegetation and seagrasses. Seagrasses are home to about 85% of the marine life the community enjoys fishing and eating. Clearing debris and vessels also impact the real estate values in the area. Bay County counts on clean waterways, boating access, and fishing to fund the local economy.(1)

Amnesty Days in Sneads

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This week, April 6th – 9th (Wed-Sat), are Amnesty Days for Sneads City Limit Residents. This is a free service the town is offering to help citizens clean up their properties and homes. The event will be held at the corner of Third Ave and Old Spanish Trail. It is for Sneads City Limit Residents ONLY. Proof of residence is required so bring an ID, copy of a bill, and/or proof of residence. Please note that the hours for Wednesday – Friday are 7:30am – 5pm CST while the Saturday hours are 8am – 12pm.

Walton County Real Estate Boom

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Real estate continues to be a hot commodity in Walton County as more vacationers and visitors to the area move here full-time in the wake of Covid-19. The area is expanding fast and available housing is rapidly depleting. The public school system is an added bonus for families moving into the area; Walton County offers a high level of education and activities that would normally be indicative of private schools. The 2020 U.S. Census Bureau reported that Walton County’s population is over 75,000.