Category: COVID-19

Pirates Of The High Seas Fest

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The Panama City Beach Pirates of the High Seas Fest is setting sail virtually from October 5 to October 11, 2020!

The annual event celebrates the legacy of the pirates who once roamed the Gulf of Mexico and pillaged the Emerald Coast, telling the tale of Dominique Youx and his krewe of loyal buccaneers through staged pirate battles and storytelling.

Events include a virtual treasure hunt, sweepstakes, costume contest, prizes, get a chance to win a free vacation to a real beach, watch a magic show, see live music performances, download pirate crafts, and even see a pirate battle streamed live online!

Visit the official website to enjoy the virtual festivities: official website of the PCB pirates fest

Weekend Concert in Marianna, FL

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This Saturday, head to Citizens Lodge Park in Marianna for a free night of music in the park!

Photo @ Citizens’ Lodge Park taken by @noahs.notions

Beginning at 6 PM, various Marianna natives will perform a variety of selections from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Performers include Lenny Jennings and Latitude 29, a band built for dance and party music that’s been all over North Florida and Alabama since 1986! Social distancing and masks are encouraged but not mandatory. So bring some snacks, drinks, and the people you love to spend an evening enjoying live music in chairs, on blankets, or in the grass. 

 

Check out the Facebook event page here! 

Learn more about Latitude 29 here!

Citizens’ Lodge Park Address:

4574 Lodge Drive
Marianna, FL 32446

In Need of a Vet in the FL Panhandle?

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Live in the Florida Panhandle? Looking for a new, reputable veterinarian? Visit the Panhandle Veterinary Services located in Chipley, FL. Founded in 1976, this is a vet, full-boarding, and grooming facility. There are four doctors on staff, all graduates of the University of Florida. They are a mixed animal practice that caters to small and large animals. They are currently welcoming new clients, walk-in appointments, and farm visits! Panhandle Veterinary Services Website

Reviews rate them as an overall 4.5 out of 5-star rating with 229 reviews. Positive reviewers state that Panhandle Veterinary Services “are always very nice, never pushy and I love that they have a drive-through!” Additionally, they “Explained everything to us and asked if we had questions or concerns.” Overall, it seems that this particular clinic is  acknowledged for its’ “Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, [and] Value.” Panhandle Veterinary Services Google Reviews

Call them at (850) 638-4857 or visit them at:

Panhandle Veterinary Services

900 Falling Waters Rd

Chipley, FL 32428

5 Things Happening on the 25th

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1. Heritage Day

Previously known in South Africa as Shaka Day, a day commemorating the Zulu King of Shaka who united clans to for the Zulu nation. Since 1955. South Africans have celebrated the renamed Heritage Day by remembering the cultural heritage of the many different cultures that make up their nation. Often called the ‘‘Rainbow Nation,’’ South Africa’s cultural roots are rich, vibrant, and incredibly diverse cultures. Want to celebrate and better understand this beautiful smorgasboard of cultures? Read up on South Africa’s history; research it’s cultural past, explore the intense political history, the racial injustices, the complex languages, and their culture in general. 

2. National Comic Book Day

National Comic Book Day honors the art, artists, and the stories of comic books. Fans, collectors, readers, writers, and artists come together to celebrate this generational, cultural crossing genre. Comic books has grown as a genre to include full-length books, graphic novels, comic strips, manga, comic collections, and digital comics. Additionally, comic books have inspired countless movie adaptations – the Marvel Cinematic Universe would not exist if comics didn’t. Celebrate by discovering new comic books, reading old favorites, sharing your passion with those in your life, watching television shows/movies based on comics, or look for online celebrations you can join. 

3. National Cooking Day

A day meant to encourage and inspire people to discover something new and enjoyable in the kitchen. Learn a new skill by preparing something new and delicious for yourself or loved ones. National Cooking Day is a day for passing on recipes, making fulfilling meals, experimenting with new recipes, baking with loved ones, throwing social-distancing-safe potlucks, hosting meals, or maybe just whipping up your favorite comfort foods to enjoy in your pjs on the couch. Connect with friends and family or practice some filling self-care this holiday!

4. National Daughters Day

A special day created to celebrate and cherish daughters. While there is a National Sons & Daughters Day, this event is a response to the growing awareness of the inherent struggles womens go through in society. From the very beginning, society viewed women as inferior to men, limiting their potential due to male privilege dominated at the time. This is an opprotunity to learn and discuss gender discrimination and inequity. Help your daughter grow into a well-rounded, emotionally fulfilled woman by celebrating them today. Explore this parental blog about teaching kids about gender equality and this education blog to learn more!

5. Sport Purple for Platelets Day

Supports those suffering from Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a disease that causes excessive bleeding, bruising and fatigue due to low levels of platelets (those are the cells that enable blood to clot). Unfortunately, ITP is widely unheard of and not much is known about the hows and whys of the disease. It was one of the first autoimmune disorders discovered, proving that a human body’s tissue could be attacked by its own antibodies. Despite this groundbreaking contribution, research into ITP never gained significant financial traction. The Platelet Disorder Support Association (PDSA) sponsors Sport Purple for Platelets Day in order to raise awareness and funds for those suffering and for research. So sport purple today to show your support for this life-shortening disease! 

 

All About Walking Indoors

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It’s well known that cardio, also known as aerobic cardiovascular or cardio exercise, is important for physical and mental health. Benefits of cardio include:

  • increases stamina
  • positive effects on mental health 
  • gain and maintain muscle
  • lose and keep off fat
  • boosts immune system
  • helps prevent and/or manage chronic conditions
  • strengthens the heart (among many others like the lungs)
  • …and more!

However, it’s so hot outside these days – especially with Southern humidity! – that going outside to exercise seems daunting. Heck, it can even be dangerous; working outside under the hot summer sun – the calendar may say autumn but we know better – can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke. So stay inside and beat the heat with indoor walking! Don’t mist this opportunity – what? You didn’t like the pun? How cold! 

Indoor Walking Tips

WALKING IN PLACE: a low-impact activity, not only does it check the cardio box but also counts as stretching. As an exercise, it primarily targets the quads; additionally benefits the abs, hamstrings, and hip flexors. 

Walking in place is something of revived phenomena right now. Not only does it provide an escape from the weather, it also offers a safe alternative to going to gyms. Check out ‘walking in place routines/workouts’ on Youtube for a wide array of demonstrations for everyone from athletes to the elderly and even parents with kids! 

Indoor walking is built on the repetitive movement of marching in place. This can be hard on your joints, so consider switching it up by…

Adding movement: walk around your coffee table, down the hallway, climb stairs if you have them, or add simple side-to-side and forward-and-back movements. You can also try…

Adding weight/resistance: add easy resistance to marching in place by using light dumbbells in each hand. Or, use a weighted vest. Stay safe – DON’T wear a vest that’s more than 5-10% of your body weight! Additionally, exercises or stretches can increase the energy burned as well as tighten and tone muscles. Some easy exercises to add if you have dumbbells are bicep curls, shoulder presses, triceps kickbacks, and lunges. No equipment? No problem – try adding bodyweight exercises like squats or side-lunges.

If it feels too easy, try creating your own cycles using walking and various change-ups (or check Youtube!). For example, when you’re binge-watching a show through your streaming service, walk-in place while the episode is playing. Then, during the credits and while the next episode loads, perform x-number of squats, x-number of jumping jacks, and x-number x = whatever number you’re comfortable with of lunges as many times as you can. Return to walking when the next episode starts.

Weather or not you plan to try indoor walking (read more here), the joke below is guaranteed to make you laugh out cloud!

Why do cows lie in the rain…?

…to keep each udder dry!

World Peace Day is Tomorrow!

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Heads up people – tomorrow is World Peace Day!

The International Day of Peace (also known as World Peace Day) is celebrated annually on September 21st. It is a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace between all nations and all people. In this modern era (and an election year no less!), violence, war, and other negative themes often monopolize the news cycles. The International Day of Peace is an inspiring opportunity to not only remember the good people are capable of but also put peace and goodwill into the world through your own actions. 

The evolution of World Peace Day to the International Day of Peace is an interesting one. In 1981, the United Nations unanimously voted to sponsor a day in honor of peace. However, there was never an actual plea for people/countries to stop fighting and it had no specific date. Jeremy Gilley, an impassioned British citizen, began a campaign to create a more impactful annual celebration of peace. On September 7th, 2001, the UN officially created the International Day of Peace and dedicated September 21st to the new day, a day that asked all people and leaders of the world to agree to ceasefire in active conflicts and vow to pursue the path of nonviolence. As the official Peace Day website states, it is a day that “provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace” (source).

2020 is particularly significant for this established event because it is the 20th Anniversary of the UN Resolution on the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace. This specific program was a new concept that linked eight action areas for maximum impact and took ten months of negotiation to hammer out. The eight action areas are as follows: culture of peace through education; sustainable economic and social development; respect for all human rights; equality between women and men; democratic participation; understanding, tolerance and solidarity; participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge; and international peace and security.

Additionally, this year’s celebration is marked by the ongoing world pandemic. The UN declared the 2020 Peace Day Theme to be “Shaping Peace Together,” a theme that specifies “spreading compassion, kindness, and hope in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

How you and yours can celebrate/promote World Peace Day:

  • Observe the global “Minute of Silence;” the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Pathways to Peace inaugurated the Minute of Silence in 1984. At noon in each time zone, the Minute of Peace creates a moment of silent reflection, amplifying what NGO calls a “Peace Wave” around the world.
  • Light a candle in honor of peace
  • Read/write/share peace poems, stories, et cetera
  • Read about different peacemakers or watch a film (List of Peacemakers in History)
  • Make/write down peace promises in your own life (ex. smile more, let go of road rage, et cetera)
  • Plant a peace garden (more on peace gardens)
  • Give someone a peace lily
  • Share messages of peace on social networking sites (ex. share your creative peace projects, repost quotes on peace, et cetera)
  • Check out the Mosaic Children’s Project; listen to their music, donate, and share (Mosaic Project website)
  • Resolve to create more peace in your life with yourself and those around you (ex. reach out to a family member you recently had a disagreement with, practice pausing for three breathes before reacting/replying in trying situations, send a letter to a friend you haven’t talked with in awhile, et cetera)
  • Write to lawmakers to adopt more peaceful approaches to domestic issues and international relations
  • Organize or join a Peace March (event map for International Day of Peace)

Responsibly Choose Your Chocolate for This National Holiday

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National Choose Your Chocolate Day is a brand new celebration of chocolate sponsored by See’s Candies. The company hopes the event will be held annually on September 16th. It’s a celebration that corresponds with the birthday of Mary See, the woman behind the foundational creative chocolate recipes the company has been using for over 100 years! Alongside introducing their new holiday honoring chocolate and Mary See, See’s Candy Shops Inc. is releasing two new candies for the upcoming October season. The new candies are individually wrapped, a design impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Sour Jelly Beans Trick-or-Treat pack contains a mix of Sour Tangerine, Sour Grape, and Sour Apple flavors. Milk Molasses Chip Trick-or-Treat Minis are molasses honeycomb wafers covered in smooth milk chocolate. 

Additionally, the company launched a quiz that can help you decide which chocolate candy matches your personality. “In these difficult times, chocolate can brighten someone’s day, which is why See’s will make a donation to worthy organizations for every quiz taken,” the company says. Interested in doing good and having fun? Click the following link and scroll down to ‘National Choose Your Chocolate Day Activities’ to take the quiz for yourself:

https://nationaltoday.com/national-choose-chocolate-day/

New Eatery in Tallahassee Owned/Operated by 3 Preteen, Philanthropic Sisters

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Three Tallahassee sisters have stepped into the realm of entrepreneurship despite the daunting circumstances produced by a global pandemic and their young ages. Sisters Lyrica (age 13), Zaira (age 12), and Nadira Leo (age 9) own and operate their own vegan eatery named “Bourne Brilliant.” As of July 25, 2020, the trio is located in the rapidly expanding Railroad Square in one of the small, vibrant nooks that line the Breezeway Market. 

Officially, the newly opened patisserie shop is leased by their mom, Syrheda La Shae, but the young girls are the power behind the cute shop and its’ products. The sisters’ have very supportive, proud parents: their father was the first to invest in their business ($50 many years ago when they were competing in competitions and selling goods at festivals) while their mother works with them as a family team. Syrheda explains that each of her daughters “bring something unique to the business. I like to encourage that uniqueness. They’re working together as one business entity but they have their individual skills” (source). 

     

    While they have gained a reputation based on their amazing baked goods, they offer a range of brilliant products including holistic items like teas and bath soaps, juices, their grandmother Ella’s preserves (pickled okra, squash relish and jams), and natural hair products. Additionally, they offer a rotating hot-n-ready menu with mouth-watering options like roti, Indian flatbread, Caribbean vegetable callaloo, and mac ‘n cheese. They are a vegan and plant-based source of food for the community. They also act as an environmentally, socially conscious LLC: they use paper packaging in place of plastic, are members of community organizations like the Big Bend Minority Business Chamber of Commerce, and regularly donate their goods and time to various people and organizations in need. 

     

    Lyrica, who has an auto-immune disorder, was the initial force behind the sister business; she started a bread ministry in 2013 to bake bread and other goodies that she and her family then distributed to their community. Bourne Brilliant LLC was the result of Lyrica pitching the business venture to their parents to support their frequent donations, supported by her younger sisters. They currently go to school online and have COVID precautions in store: staff and visitors wear masks and they only allow five people in the shop at a time.

    Sisters Nadira, Zaira, and Lyrica (left to right) Photo by Alicia Devine

    Located on McDonnell Drive at Railroad Square at 618 McDonnell Drive B-3. They are open Thursday-Saturday. Their hours are 9AM to 5PM on Thursday and Friday; 11AM-6PM on Saturday. Consider visiting them this weekend to support these innovative, kind girls in their newest endeavor! For more information, please visit their website: https://www.bournebrilliant.com/

     

     

    Mask ordinance in Marianna

    Debbie Roney Smith on
    The Mariana City Commission met in regular session Tuesday night with an over-filled room that found space six feet apart in the hallway outside the commission room. The Ordinance submitted for approval read as follows:
    “An emergency ordinance of the City Commission of the City of Marianna, Florida, finding that a public emergency exists; requiring employees in businesses to wear a face covering; providing for exceptions; placing additional standards on retail establishments, food service establishments and bars; providing penalties for violation of this ordinance; providing for severability; and providing an effective date.
    A motion was made by Commission John Roberts that the ordinance be considered as an emergency ordinance to go into effect September 02, 2020. Commissioner Rico Williams second the motion and it passed 4-1 with Commissioner Kenny Hamilton voting against.
    My friend Bonnie still has some masks if you are in need. Below are a few photos of what she has. Her email is Thombk70@gmail.com email her with any questions. They are great masks, reusable cloth, most with adjustable ear straps and a pocket for you to add another layer of protection.
     

    JACKSON COUNTY BUSINESS SUPPORT GRANT PROGRAM

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    Opportunity Florida, on behalf of Jackson County, will be accepting grant applications from businesses that have been financially impacted by COVID-19. The funding for these grants has been awarded to the County through the CARES Act 2020 from the federal government via the State of Florida.
    To qualify, your business must be:
    1. A for-profit privately held business that was established on or before January 1, 2019
    2. Must have a physical location in Jackson County, Florida
    3. May be a business franchise that is locally owned (not a company-owned location facility).
    4. Must have a demonstrated reduction in sales revenue of 5% or greater due to the loss of business income related to COVID-19
    5. A small business as defined as employing 1-50 employees** may qualify for up to $20,000.
    6. A regular business as defined as employing 50+ employees** may qualify for up to $10,000.
    7. Can be a sole proprietorship-based business.
    More details are included on the Business Grant Application, which may be obtained on the following websites: Jackson County (www.jacksoncountyfl.gov), Jackson County Chamber of Commerce (www.jacksoncounty.com), or Opportunity Florida (www.opportunityflorida.com) .
    Applications may be submitted via email to info@opportunityflorida.com or in person at the Opportunity Florida office, 4636 Highway 90, Suite K, Marianna beginning last Monday, August 31, 2020 at 8 am CDT. Please note, all applications submitted in person must be in a sealed envelope.
    Applications will be reviewed in the order that they are received, according to the completeness of the application submission package (the application will not be fully accepted until all necessary support items are included in the submission package). Applications will be accepted until the business category grant funds are exhausted or December 15, 2020, whichever comes first.
    To learn more about the Jackson County CARES Act 2020 Business Support Grant, visit the websites or call Roy Baker at (850) 633-4119.
    Opportunity Florida is a regional economic development organization that serves the ten counties that make up the Northwest Florida Rural Area of Opportunity (RAO). The counties include Holmes, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Liberty, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.