Chipley in Washington County

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Chipley, Florida is in the panhandle area of Northwest Florida about halfway between Tallahassee and Pensacola. It has a population of about 3,600. It is the county seat of Washington County. This small city was founded in 1882 and was originally named “Orange.” When the railroad came through town in the 1880s, the town was named Chipley after William Dudley Chipley. Mr. Chipley was president of the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad and was also a Florida state senator from 1895 to 1897. The railroad was the first across the largely unpopulated Florida panhandle. The railroad ran 160 miles from Pensacola to Chattahoochee on the Apalachicola River. The railroad originally intended to establish a station a few miles away from Orange. Some town fathers – some of them fellow Confederate Army veterans – approached Chipley and convinced him to move the proposed station into Washington County. This is how Orange became Chipley. The railroad was an important part of the Chipley economy for many years. Forestry was a dominant industry in the panhandle, and spawned many other ventures such as saw mills and turpentine camps. Agriculture in general also developed in the area. Livestock, and poultry became important economic factors. As the town prospered and was the center of much of the area’s business, it was named the seat of Washington County in 1927. Chipley is far enough north in Florida that it actually has seasons. The leaves turn colors in the fall, and people crank up their fireplaces in the winter. The record low temperature recorded in Chipley was 2 degrees above zero in January 1985. It is the second coldest temperature ever recorded in Florida.

Chipley today is a busy little place that is a living reminder of the way it was in Old Florida. The city has done a good job of preserving historic buildings and revitalizing their neighborhoods. For a small city, Chipley has a nice assortment of shops and restaurants in their downtown area. Thrift stores, an outdoor market, antique shops, and so much more.

Chipley Postcard from 1906, from Florida Memory, Florida State Archives

Recreation openings in Washington County~Phase 1

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Washington County has made a flyer for what is opening during phase 1 of the stay at home order due to COVID-19. The flyer says to check the FB page of the respective place on the list for current information. Falling Waters, Seacrest Wolf Preserve, and Old Cypress Canoe Rentals are 3 that are still closed. Will be keeping an eye out for what is opening in the recreation department for phase 2!

Mental Health

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We know that making healthy choices can help us feel better and live longer. Maybe you’ve already tried to eat better, get more exercise or sleep, quit smoking, or reduce stress. It’s not easy. But research shows how you can boost your ability to create and sustain a healthy lifestyle. Making healthy choices can help us feel better and live longer, but stress can tempt us to revert to some not-so-healthy habits. You’re never too out of shape, too overweight, or too old to make healthy changes. Try different strategies until you find what works best for you. These tips from the National Institutes of Health can help you during Coronavirus and every day:

Build Healthy Habits~ Plan. Identify unhealthy patterns and triggers. ~Set realistic goals. Write down steps to help you achieve them.~Change your surroundings. Find ways to make healthier choices easy choices. ~Remove temptations. Work for changes in your community, like safe places to walk. ~Ask for support. Find friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or groups for support or ask people to join you. ~Fill your time with healthy activities. Try exercise, a favorite hobby, or spending time with family and friends. ~Track your progress. Record how things are going to help you stay focused and catch slip-ups. ~Imagine the future. Think about future benefits to stay on track. ~Reward yourself. Give yourself a healthy reward when you’ve achieved a small goal or milestone, like a massage or personal time. ~Be patient. Improvement takes time, and setbacks happen. Focus on progress, not perfection.

 

 

Chipley Farmer’s Market~5-9-2020

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Don’t forget farms and farmers markets are opening back up around the panhandle. Be sure to check with your favorite local ones to see when they are open. Support locals when possible! Here is the flyer for the Farmer’s Market in Chipley. Details on photo. Most markets in this area seem to be open on Saturday mornings and some on Tuesday and Thursdays as well. Be safe and remember social distancing, stay home when sick, and wash hands for at least 20 seconds.

 

Spanish Trail Farms Grand opening 2020 crop~May 9th

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Open this Saturday May 9th at 8am. They will have peas, beans, squash, zucchini, and much more! The first 5 customers will receive a FREE box of variety vegetables. Call Trent Childs at (850) 209-8321 with any questions. The farm is located at 7202 Old Spanish Trail in Grand Ridge. If you want them to they are offering curbside orders. Call them in advance and they will put it in your car for you.

Drive thru COVID-19 testing

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Drive-thru COVID-19 testing will be available for all Calhoun and Liberty County residents 18 years and older. This began on May 5th and will be no cost to participants. Full details on the photo below and also at the Florida Health for those 2 counties.

Super flower moon~6:45am 5-7-2020

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Thursday’s super flower moon is the third straight super moon of the year. It follows March’s worm moon and April’s pink moon. The next super moons won’t appear until April 27, 2021, and May 26, 2021. A super moon is a new or full moon that happens at the time of the month when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit, also known as perigee. That means it’s going to look extra big and bright – up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a micro moon, or when a full moon farthest away from Earth, according to NASA. The flower moon moniker is just another name for this month’s full moon. “May’s Full Flower Moon name is not surprising,” The Old Farmer’s Almanac says. “Flowers spring forth in abundance this month!” It’s also known as the mother’s moon, milk moon, and corn planting moon. Officially, the full moon peaks at 6:45 a.m. EDT on Thursday morning, but you won’t be able to see it then because it will be below the horizon. But don’t worry, it will still be big and bright both Wednesday and Thursday nights.

A super moon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time it is full. (Source: NASA)

1st Solar Plant in Jackson County

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Gulf Power opened its first-ever owned and operated solar facility in Jacob City in Jackson County. Gulf Power says the new center is bringing them closer to making Northwest Florida a leader in cleaner energy. Last spring, Gulf Power began construction on the Blue Indigo Solar Energy Center. One year later, and the center is already harvesting emissions-free energy for customers across the panhandle. The Blue Indigo Solar Energy Center sits on more than 600 acres of former agricultural land south of State Highway 162, more commonly known as Jacob Road. The solar energy center would produce 74.5 megawatts of energy. That’s enough to power 15,000 homes annually. The solar panels will not damage the soil. This alleviates the concern that once the panels are there, the farm land would not be usable. The farm land would not be harmed in any way. The site is also completely unmanned; requiring no maintenance from the county or local municipalities.

May 4th

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May the Fourth be with you each year on National Star Wars Day. Or is it, “May the force be with you?” It all depends on whether you like using puns or not. Star Wars fans didn’t first introduce the often quoted phrase on May 4th. It was 1979, and Britain elected the first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. On May 4th, the day she took office, the Conservative Party placed an advertisement in The London Evening News, which read, “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.” Star Wars creator, George Lucas, was asked during a 2005 interview on a German news TV channel to say the famous sentence “May the Force Be with You.” Upon doing so, the interpreter interpreted the sentence into German as Am4 Mai sind wir bei Ihnen (On May 4 we are with you). TV Total captured this and aired it on May 18, 2005. National Star Wars Day was first organized in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema in 2011. Produced by Sean Ward and Alice Quinn, festivities included an Original Trilogy Trivia Game Show, a costume contest, and the web’s best tribute films, mash-ups, parodies, and remixes on the big screen. May 4th was chosen because of the play on words.

Charles Almanzo Babcock, Oil City, Pennsylvania Superintendent of Schools, established the first Bird Day in 1894. It was also the first holiday in the United States dedicated to the celebration of birds. Babcock founded the day, observed annually on May 4th, to advance bird conservation as a moral value.We honor our feathered friends on several holidays called Bird Day in the United States. The day celebrates birds of all kinds across North America. With over 2,000 species of birds in North America, birdwatchers and nature lovers alike will appreciate the beauty and variety of these winged friends offer. From songbirds to waterfowl and domesticated birds, they come in every color of plumage and wingspan. During the spring, migrating birds move to their summer nesting grounds. It’s an excellent time for those new to birdwatching to learn to identify birds by species. Enthusiasts also know that birds will migrate through backyards and stop for a rest, a bite to eat, and a drink if the right habitat is provided. They stand prepared by their windows with binoculars and watch as new visitors arrive daily. Whether it’s an oriole, a tree swallow, the ruby-throated hummingbird, or an American Finch, you’ll want to make sure you’ve prepared food, natural habitat and water sources for your guests. However, it’s not just the passersby that get birdists excited. It’s the long term residents and those of the greater outdoors. Year after year they watch robins collect their nesting material or chickadees caring for their brood. They wander through nature preserves seeking a glimpse of a varied thrush or a prairie warbler. When they do, they are often graced with a privileged view of a bald eagle soaring above them.

 

New snake species named after Harry Potter character

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There may be nothing about it that says “magic” or “witchcraft,” but a newly discovered snake species has still been named after a character from the Harry Potter series.

Scientists in India decided to call the green pit viper “Trimeresurus Salazar.” The name is an ode to Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, which is where Potter and his pals mastered their wizardry skills. Slytherin is known, among other things, for his ability to talk to snakes.

The scientists’ findings have been published in the journal “Zoosystematics and Evolution.”