Orange Hill Gator Farm

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Orange Hill Gator Farm is located in Chipley. They have alligator tours which include a two-hour informational dialogue about these reptiles, and a children-safe, family-friendly tour of our breeding houses as well as the natural habitats of the American Alligator. Tours start at 9am daily and last approximately 2 hours as weather permits and by reservations only.  CALL 850-527-1383 FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS. Visitors are encouraged to bring a camera and are also cautioned to wear closed-toe shoes (no sandals please) for safety.

 

https://debbie7559.wixsite.com/orangehillgatorfarm

National Lemonade Day

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National Lemonade Day is August 20th. The use of lemonade dates as far back as ancient Egypt and has rooted its own beginnings all over the world. However, the concept for Lemonade Day was created when founder, Michael Holthouse’s daughter, Lissa, wanted to add a turtle to her pet collection. With so many pets already in the house, Michael said no.  Dedicated and determined, Lissa decided she would open a lemonade stand to raise money to buy her own turtle, and asked her dad for help.  

This brilliant and empowered idea gave founder, Michael Holthouse the inspiration for the National Lemonade Day Campaign. He wanted to give more children the opportunity to learn business skills, responsibility, financial literacy, goal setting, and team-work just like Lissa. Giving children across the U.S. lessons that could carry all the way to their future. More than any pop album, or hip-hop song, this day is not just about fun and enjoying delicious lemonade, it’s about providing confidence to our youth and teaching them basic business skills — but listening to Beyonce’s “Lemonade” at the same time doesn’t hurt. Giving our youth an entrepreneur’s spirit at an early age has an incredibly positive impact on their success in the future, and when our children are successful, the world is successful! So let’s slice-up some lemons and get to stirring up some learning!

Did you know Pink Lemonade gets its color from being mixed with other fruits or red dye depending upon whom and where it is gotten from? Did you know a 13 year old girl founded the world’s best selling lemonade brand Me & The Bee’s?

Enjoy a glass of lemonade today!

Jackson County COVID-19 testing now 7 days a week

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The Florida Department of Emergency Management (DEM) has opened a COVID-19 testing location in Jackson County. The local County Health Department will be discontinuing their routinely scheduled testing.
This Marianna location will offer 7-day a week testing availability between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
-The site is in parking lot of the Dollar General located at 4264 Lafayette St in Marianna.
-Testing consists of a shallow nasal self-swab. This means the patient will swab their own nose under the supervision of the technician.
-No appointment is necessary
-There is no cost to the individual
-Individuals wishing to be tested must be age 18 or older.
-Negative results will be notified by the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 call center and positive results be notified by local County Health Department staff.

Open House schedule for Jackson County

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Jackson County School District has released open house dates for the 2020-2021 school year. They strongly encourage everyone to wear masks to the open house and stay home if they are sick.

Once school is in session, August 24, the mandatory mask on buses and in class changes (6-12 for class changes) will be enforced.

Purple Tire Shop ~ Grand Opening

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Congrats on the grand opening to The Purple Tire Shop which is owned and operated by Jaramin McKinnie. In addition to tires & tire repairs, Jaramin and his team repair brakes, alignment, engines, steering & suspensions. They also offer tuneups and oil changes. Call 850-526-2383 for hours of operations and times. 

 

Masks not mandatory in Jackson County/Buying masks

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At Tuesday’s city commission special meeting three of the five members of the city commission voted for the mask mandate, but since it was an emergency ordinance during a special meeting, it required a four-vote majority. So masks are not required in Jackson County.

Mayor Travis Ephriam said he felt like the city commission needed to at least discuss the ideas of a mask mandate due to the COVID-19 cases in Jackson County. Ephriam voted in favor of the mask ordinance because he said he cares about the health and safety of the residents. “I think we have to do everything we can to protect not just our residents, but also our workers in the healthcare field,” Ephriam said. “Without a mask ordinance, I don’t think we can say we’re doing everything that we could.” Even though the mask mandate did not pass at Tuesday’s meeting, Ephriam said it’s still a possibility that it could get brought up again in the future.

At the start of the meeting, the Florida Department of Health in Jackson County released the latest information about COVID-19 cases in the area. According to the Florida Department of Health, there are 1,936 positive cases of COVID-19 and 41 deaths in the county due to the coronavirus.

However many businesses are requiring masks for you to shop. It is like the no shoes no shirt no service signs you have all seen for years.

A client (now friend) is selling masks for $5 each. Shipping is $2 for every 2.All have pockets for you to add another layer of protection and are washable so you can reuse. Below are a few photos of masks she has on hand. Bonnie can also do contactless delivery in Marianna. Her email is Thombk70@gmail.com.

 

 

Bay County Animal Shelter offering $25 adoptions August 15th

Debbie Roney Smith on

With the cheap prices for cats and dogs this weekend is the time to add a new family member! All animals from the shelter come vaccinated and checked for any underlying medical conditions.  All dogs that are old enough are heartworm tested. All cats are tested for feline leukemia or FIV,  and they’re all microchipped. So, when you go in and you pick an animal out, it’s ready to go!

With the Humane Society Of Bay County closed for the time being, officials say it’s even more important to get animals adopted so the shelter doesn’t fill up. The Bay County Animal Shelter is working to get as many animals into loving homes as quickly as they can.

The adoption event this Saturday will be at the Bay County Animal Shelter from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and all pets are $25.

ANIMAL & ADOPTION CENTER:                                                                                                                                             1600 Bay Avenue
Panama City, FL 32405
 Main Phone: (850) 215-7120
 Fax: (850) 215-0464

https://adoptme.org/

Jackson County birthday

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Yesterday Jackson County celebrated it’s 198th birthday!

Jackson County was established in 1822 making it one of the oldest counties in the state. The County was named after Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States. Marianna, the county seat, was founded by Scottish native, Robert Beveridge, and is still the home to the courthouse and other local governing organizations for the County.

Though thought of as a predominantly rural agricultural community, Jackson County is also known for its rich historical heritage and one-of-a-kind historical landmarks. People from all over the world travel to Jackson County to enjoy scuba diving in the natural spring water, touring the only walk-through cave tour in Florida, sightseeing the local “haunted” attractions, or to try to catch a glimpse of local endangered plant life and animals only found in our County.

 

Do not open or plant seed packets

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The USDA and agriculture officials across the U.S. have issued warnings about unsolicited shipments of foreign seeds and advised people not to plant them. Officials are concerned the mystery seeds, which appear to have originated in China, could be invasive plant species. They say they “may pose a threat to plant, animal and human health.” According to authorities, the mysterious seed packets are being mailed to unsuspecting Americans across the US, including people in Florida.

The USDA calls it “agricultural smuggling,” and the seeds appear to be coming from China. Florida’s Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services on Monday issued a warning. “Anyone receiving these suspicious seed packets should not open them, should not plant them, should limit contact with them, and should report them immediately to both our department and USDA officials,” Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a statement.

According to FDCAS, the state has received over 160 reports from Florida residents about these unwelcome seed deliveries. The packages have Chinese characters on them, may have the words “China Post” and could be labeled as jewelry.

If you receive a shipment of seeds, call the FDACS Division of Plant Industry at 1-888-397-1517. Or you can also contact the USDA APHIS Anti-Smuggling Hotline at 1-800-877-3835.

Blue Springs Recreation Area open weekends only now

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Blue Springs Recreation Area came to its seasonal end last Sunday, August. 9th.  Saturday, August 15th will be the next time it is open now that the brief weekends-only schedule starts. The Saturday and Sunday schedule continues until Labor Day, Monday, September 7th, with the park open that Monday to finish up the summer season of this year.

The park is expected to open on schedule next Memorial Day, with a lot of improvements to be completed during the traditional closed period of the year. While it’s closed this time around, crews will be temporarily drawing down the water six feet so that workers can complete the park’s new headwall. That work is expected to begin in October or November. Until it starts, the boat ramp at Hunter’s Fish Camp Road will stay open to the public although the swimming area will be closed. Once the headwall construction period begins, it will be closed as well until all the work is completed. The headwall will be made of landscape block and replaces the sandbag array that currently serves the purpose of establishing an end to the water in order to keep it from washing up and eroding the maintained area of the popular recreational area on Merritt’s Mill Pond. The headwall structure will also provide a safer entry-and-exit experience for swimmers. Additionally, the county is installing better steps for both side of the diving board platform, giving users more surface area on the approach, adding a wading area for the youngest children, and a redesign of some terraced area so that there will more flat space along the edge of the waterway.

The changes taking place this year will expand the recreational area’s fulfillment of American Disability Act standards, as well, with extra sidewalk rails installed nearer the water’s edge.