Emerald Coast CruiZine

Tomorrow is the first day of an exciting 4-day event held at Aaron Bessant Park in Panama City Beach – the Emerald Coast CruiZine event!

An automotive event centered around seeing – and showing off – hot rods, CruiZine is positioned on 17 acres of Aaron Bessant Park’s luscious green grass. There will be clean air-conditioned restrooms, a center stage with live music, a craft area, and Pier Park’s extensive shops (over 100!) to keep everyone occupied and happy. Additionally, the event has enacted safety measures given COVID-19; everyone on site is required to wear a mask (including patrons!), hand sanitizing stations are being set up throughout the venue, and more. So go check-out the classic cars under the Florida sun this Wednesday to Saturday. 

For more details on schedule, safety precautions, and more, visit the CruiZine website HERE!

Fall Soups & Salads Cooking Class

The weather is starting to cool down, and it’s the perfect time for soup! Bodacious Shops is hosting a Fall Soups & Salads Cooking Class this Wednesday, November 11th at 6 p.m..

There will be different soups and salads to make and eat throughout the evening including: Shrimp & Crab Chowder, Roasted Red Pepper & Basil Soup, French Onion Soup, Roasted Fall Harvest Soup, Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing with Chopped Eggs, and Fruit, Cheese, & Nut Salad with Apples & Pears.

Interested in participating? Be sure to dress comfortably as you will likely get messy while cooking, leave your wrist/finger jewelry at home, and look forward to a three-course class with a light appetizer, main course, and dessert! Beer and wine are also available for those of age. For further details on the class including safety precautions, visit Bodacious Shops’ event page HERE

Festival on the Boulevard

Put on by the local non-profit, Washington County Council on Aging, the Festival on the Boulevard will be held November 7th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.! 

A family-friendly, free event happening in Chipley, the festival will start at 7 a.m. with a 5K event (click HERE for more information about the 5K) and will include entertainment, food, and vendors. There are over 20 vendors signed up to offer such goodies as; jewelry, woodwork, wreaths, chalk creations, yard decor, aromatherapy products, vinyl designs, makeup, and more! Entertainment will be provided by local artists Trish Brannon and Braeden Cooper, and pony rides will be available for the kiddos. 

Cane Syrup Saturday!

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Maphis Nursery & Tree Farm in Chipley is hosting a FREE event this Saturday, November 7th.

Appropriate for all ages, this special, one-time event will show you and your family how cane syrup was made in the old days. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can chew some cane, drink the juice, help feed the mill, and more! Additionally, there will be cane syrup available for purchase after the tour AND you can explore the nursery and gift shop for more goodies! 

Visit their Facebook event page for more information: click HERE!

43rd Annual Seafood Festival Is BACK

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

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

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

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! 

Rocky Horror Murder Mystery Dinner Show in Pensacola

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!

PensaCon Halloween Fest

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!