43rd Annual Seafood Festival Is BACK

Debbie Roney Smith on
2020 POSTER ARTWORK BY: JAIME SHEVAT
@JaimeShevatArt

Although it was delayed more than a month due to COVID-19 precautions, the 43rd Annual Pensacola Seafood Festival is back and better than ever this weekend!

Produced by Fiesta Pensacola, this is a free three-day festival that will be held in Downtown Pensacola’s Seville Square and Fountain Park. From November 6th to 8th, this family-friendly festival will include a variety of foods, arts and crafts, and live entertainment. For the specifics of the day-to-day schedule, visit their official festival website HERE! 

National Stress Awareness Day

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National Stress Awareness Day is run by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA), and is held annually on November 4th. 

So what exactly is stress? Stress is your body’s reaction to pressure from a certain situation or event. It can be a physical, mental, or emotional reaction. It can be incredibly debilitating to deal with any kind of stress on a regular basis. The goal of this annual day of awareness is to raise awareness of stress, its impact, reduce stigma, and promote the importance of well-being and stress reduction for individuals and organizations.

Looking for more information? Try this site to begin your search: CLICK HERE!

Election Day

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Florida was among a number of states that experienced unprecedented pre-Election Day voting, likely a trend caused by COVID-19 and increased public awareness of voting rights and processes. As of Sunday evening, 8.974 million ballots had been counted in Florida, nearly matching the entire 9.5 million votes cast in the entirety of the 2016 presidential election. However, if you were one of those who did not vote by mail or participate in early voting dates, today is the day – Election Day 2020! Remember:

  • Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
  • Need help locating your polling place? Visit the FDS Voter Information Lookup. 
  • For everyone’s safety, please wear a mask when voting in person. Additionally, most locations will have hand sanitizer, masks, and gloves available. 
  • Bring current, valid photo identification with a signature. Approved forms of photo identification are: Florida driver’s license; United States passport; debit or credit card; military identification; student identification; more specific allowances listed HERE. 

Reminder: Daylight Saving Time Ends

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Daylight saving time ends this Sunday, November 1 at 2 AM! Clocks will fall back one hour to 1 AM, which means you get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning – a great way to start the month. 

The only state not affected by the end of Daylight Saving Time in Hawaii which has never observed daylight saving. This is because the island state is farther south and therefore close enough to the equator that there is no significant difference in sunrise and sunset times across the year. Additionally, some areas of Arizona might now follow the fallback. 

Daylight Saving Time essentially shifts an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening so the end of DST adds an hour to the beginning of the day instead of the end. Implemented as a measure to conserve energy but research clearly states that any conservation is negated by increased energy usage in the morning. 

Fun fact: the addition of an hour to either morning or evening, aka the switch, is always done on the weekend to limit the amount of potential disruption. Additional fun fact: this year, the reversal of DST falls on the night of Halloween, something that will not happen again until 2026! 

Halloween Fun Facts!

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Happy Halloween everyone! How much do you know about the history of the now 2nd-highest grossing holiday in the U.S.A.?

Check out 3 fun facts about Halloween below!

  1. The infamous movie Halloween (1978) used the cheapest mask available for the character of Michael Meyers because they had a very tight budget. It was a William Shatner Star Trek mask! Do you think they look alike? Must have been an incredibly cheap mask!!! 
    Michael Myers, 1978
    Captain Kirk, Shatner’s character on Star Trek
  2. Trick-or-treating is a devolvement of an ancient Celtic tradition; treats and food were put out to placate spirits who roamed the streets at Samhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the year. That’s why trick-or-treaters now go door-to-door in search of candy! 
  3. Jack O’Lanterns were originally made from turnips, not pumpkins!

Rocky Horror Murder Mystery Dinner Show in Pensacola

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Seville Quarter in Pensacola, FL will be hosting its first-ever series of Murder Mystery Dinner Shows in Heritage Hall this October! Starting today, their last show, “Rocky Horror Murder Mystery,” will be running until Saturday. 

All shows run from 6 PM – 9:30 PM, and tickets cost $54. Tickets can be bought through Eventbrite and includes a choice of two entrees: (1) bacon-wrapped meatloaf or (2) curry’d chicken. Each entree comes with an opening course of a mixed green salad with toasted french bread, and a dessert of frozen chocolate mousse. 

Guests are encouraged to dress up and are reminded shows are 18yrs+ only. Visit their Facebook event page to view details and buy tickets! Click HERE!

Trick-or-Treat: Safety Tips

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Amidst the current pandemic, many cities and towns are canceling Halloween celebrations. If you’re in an area that is allowing festivities and feel comfortable being out-and-about, follow the suggestions listed below to keep you, your family, and your community safe during celebrations:

  • The safest way to handle Halloween festivities falls in line with the best practices for COVID-19 — wear a mask, maintain social distancing, and wash hands often.
  • No loose candy; only sealed packages of sweets so that each piece of candy is individually wrapped.
  • Avoid indoor and/or close-quarters events like house parties, haunted houses, school dances, and even hayrides.
  • Consider holding a trick-or-treating event at home for your kids; create a scavenger hunt around the yard, lead them from bedroom-to-bedroom, watch movies, or carve pumpkins. 

PensaCon Halloween Fest

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This coming Saturday, October 31 from 10 AM – 6 PM, Pensacon will be hosting their annual PensaCon Halloweenfest! Pensacon Halloweenfest will be a full day of spooky pop-culture fun in Museum Plaza. This year, the outdoor festival will be free and is located in downtown Pensacola. There will be vendors, live entertainment, celebrity guests such as Corin Nemec from “Stargate SG-1,” artists, panels, food trucks, trick-or-treating, costume contests, and other safe, family-friendly activities. Costumes are encouraged! 

Pensacon states that “Safety is of utmost concern, and in light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, every precaution is being taken to ensure a safe event. Masks will be required at all times in Museum Plaza and associated venues and activities. Vendors will be spaced out across the plaza to encourage social distancing, and ample hand sanitizing stations will be made available. Attendees are encouraged to stay with their groups and maintain six feet of distance from those outside their bubbles.” 

See PensaCon’s Facebook event page for more information by clicking HERE! 

Halloween on Wintergreen

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Looking for something to do this Saturday? Visit The Farms at Two Egg to see a drive-in movie. The movie being played is Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) and showtime starts at 8 PM. 

Prior to the showing, there will be a Spook Hour during which masks are mandatory during the various activities. There will be hayrides, a concession stand – and costumes are encouraged so you can visit the photo booth! Tickets are $10 per person and include a hayride, popcorn, soda, and candy.

Check out Two Egg’s promotional video by clicking HERE!

Visit their Facebook page for more information by clicking HERE!

 

Curfew for Blountstown Halloween

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This Halloween, on Saturday, October 31st, Blountstown Police Department will provide traffic control within the city limits from 5 – 8 PM. Additionally, there will be a trick or treating curfew of 8 PM for anyone within the city limits of Blountstown. The city asks that residents leave a porch light on if they want trick-or-treaters to stop at their homes.