Blueberry Popovers & Panhandle Pride

Today is National Blueberry Popover Day! Popovers are airy rolls that puff up when baked, popping over the edge of the tin. They are light and crispy on the outside while the insides are warm and hollow, perfect for filling with your choice of custards, creams, and fruits – especially blueberries! Blueberries are the perfect filling for popovers here in the Florida Panhandle. Not only do they decrease your cholesterol level and lower the chances of heart diseases, diabetes, and obesity but there are plentiful places to get blueberries fresh: Jackson Farms, Harmony Vineyard, Blue Sky Berry Farm, Blueberry Springs, and more.

Check out this website for a full listing of Florida Panhandle U-Pick Farms. 

National Dentist’s Day

National Dentist’s Day falls annually on March 6th. It was established as a way to show appreciation and thanks to dentists, dental hygienists, and nurses. It’s also a way to bring awareness to dentistry so that people will know more about how to care for their teeth. It also encourages people who may have avoided going to the dentist to come in for a checkup. Here are some tips to help keep your teeth healthy:

1. Brush teeth for two minutes, twice per day. 

2. Floss daily!

3. Visit a dentist twice per year if possible. 

4. Eat a balanced diet and limit eating and drinking between meals to reduce corrosion. 

Unplug from Technology Today

National Day of Unplugging is an awareness campaign that promotes a 24-hour respite from technology annually observed the first weekend in March. From sundown-to-sundown March 5-6, 2021, remove yourself from social media and technology, in general, to spend time on other, tech-free things. For over a decade, schools, religious institutions, and businesses have helped their communities celebrate this event to promote healthy life/tech balances. 

Consider going outside for a walk, reading that book you’ve had on your nightstand for a few weeks, spend quality time with friends/family/or pets, enjoy a hobby you haven’t practiced for awhile, and more! 

Visit the official National Day of Unplugging website HERE for more information such as things to do while unplugged, online gatherings, and more! 

National Holiday and Local Library Spotlight

Did you know that February is National Libary Lovers’ Month? It is a month dedicated to recognizing the value of libraries as well as work to assure that libraries in the U.S.A. will continue to serve their patrons. 

In celebration of this month-long celebration of school, public, and private libraries, let’s highlight a local public library that is continuing to provide wonderful experiences despite the restrictions of the time. Calhoun County Public Library turned 181 years old this January and is continuing to host its weekly Storytime every Thursday at 10 a.m. via Facebook. 

Visit the Calhoun library’s official website HERE or go straight to their Facebook page to access future storytime events and more by CLICKING HERE!

Fairy Tales

Tomorrow, February 26th, is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day! Celebrate by reading your favorite fairy tales, watching TV or movie adaptations, or retelling a tale from your own childhood to family or friends. The term ‘fairy tale’ was coined in 1697 by Madame d’Aulnoy. However, some fairy tales originated as early as the bronze age over 6,000 years ago according to historical research. 

Love Your Pet

Today is National Love Your Pet Day! Humans have a longstanding tendency to keep other animals as pets, something that makes us different from most of the animal kingdom. As far back as 12,000 years ago, dogs and cats were buried with their humans – clearly, the deep connection between pets and their parents is one that has persisted for generations on generations. About sixty percent of Americans are current pet owners which led to the 2004 adoption of February 20th as National Pet Day in the U.S.A. So hug your pet close today, and don’t forget to give that pooch a smooch and that cat a scratch!

Valentine’s Day

Today is Valentine’s Day! It is also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. The Feast of Saint Valentine was established in 496 AD by Pope Gelasius I. It was an annual event celebrated on February 14th in honor of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on the 14th in 269 AD. Saint Valentine’s Day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries with the rise of courtly love. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, confectionery, and sending greeting cards.

In fact, greeting cards (now referred to as valentines) were created in 1797!  A British publisher issued The Young Man’s Valentine Writer, which contained suggested sentimental verses for young lovers who were unable to compose their own sweet words. Printers had begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches based on The Young Man’s Valentine Writer sometimes called “mechanical valentines.” These mechanical valentines have grown into the valentine industry (worth over $19 billion as of 2018) that is known today.

Victorian England-era Valentine Card

Galentine’s Day

Today is Galentine’s Day, a day for women to celebrate women! February is the month of love and the 13th is designated to celebrating the important female friendships and relationships in our lives. It’s a relatively recent phenomenon; it was created by Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope. It was debuted in 2010 during the holiday special. It is a day to celebrate your female friends, a day to recognize the importance of friendship in order to strengthen and cherish them.

Rosemary Beach: Farmers Market

Tomorrow is the weekly 30A Farmers Market in the beautiful and quaint coastal community of Rosemary Beach! From 9 a.m. EST to 1 p.m. EST,  this family-friendly event will be occurring during the predicted sunny day. Featuring: locally-grown, farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, beef, chicken, local seafood, freshly baked artisan bread, homemade pasta, sauces, meatballs, BBQ sauce, local honey, homemade Greek pastries and Greek food, delicious baked cakes, pies, tarts, cupcakes, gelato, grits, herbs, olive oil, vinegars, fresh-cut flowers, wonderful jams, preserves, salsas, and chow-chows. Visit the market at 28 N. Barrett Square, and enjoy a cool morning supporting local growers, artisans, and more!

Groundhog Day

Today is the day Punxsutawney Phil will deliver a prediction for a longer winter or an early spring! Groundhog Day is a very popular North American tradition observed primarily in the United States and Canada. Historically, it is a holdover of an old Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that says a groundhog emerging from its burrow on February 2nd sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks; but if it does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early.

While the in-person event has been canceled for safety, there will be an official livestream broadcast of the event offered by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. There will be a video preshow beginning at 6:30 a.m. on February 2nd with fun facts and history. The live show, beginning at 7:15 a.m., will include Phil’s emergence and an official translation of his prediction. Visit the official website HERE to stream now!