Category: Family Friendly

Panama City Beach Scottish Festival

Debbie Roney Smith on
2018 PANAMA CITY SCOTTISH FESTIVAL & HIGHLAND GAMES

Tomorrow is the Panama City Beach Scottish Festival. This one-day event is hosted by the Celtic Cultural Alliance and held at Frank Brown Park. The event includes Highland Games, premium scotch whisky tasting, Irish Step dancing performances, a British car show, Scottish Bagpipe bands, kids play area, and vendors selling Celtic-inspired goods. The Highland Games include a Stone Throw, Scottish Heavy Hammer Throw, and the Sheaf Toss. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for kids aged 6-14, and free for children 5 and younger. Please note that the premium scotch whisky tasting requires a special ticket costing $35. Learn more about the Scottish Festival and the Celtic Cultural Alliance by visiting their website here. 

Chipley Craft Fair

Debbie Roney Smith on

Coming to Chipley this Saturday, March 5th, is the Boat Lake Spring Craft Fair and Yard Sale. From 9am – 5pm, this free event will be hosting a multitude of vendors selling a variety of crafts and goods. If you or someone you know is interested in taking part as a vendor, booth spots are $10.00 per booth spot with set-up beginning at 8am. To sign up as a vendor or to learn more about the event, please call 850-832-4771 or email boatlakedirector@gmail.com. Visit the Facebook event page here to stay up-to-date with event announcements. 

Mardi Gras GRAND Parade

Debbie Roney Smith on

    The annual Pensacola Mardi Gras Grand Parade is coming up this February 26th!

    The Grand Parade is the city’s largest parade; it includes more than 6,000 participants and 10,000 viewers. The parade features local Krewes, marching bands, organizations, and Scout Groups. Additionally, there are a number of out-of-town Krewes and organizations that visit specifically for this event. Interested in attending? The parade takes place on Palafox and Garden Streets in historic downtown Pensacola. It will start on February 26th at 2pm and lasts until 6pm. There will be a dedicated children’s viewing area free of alcohol and tobacco to ensure families can have a good time during the high-energy parade. Learn more about the parade at the Pensacola Mardi Gras website here. 

    Amelia Island Book Festival

    Debbie Roney Smith on

    The Amelia Island Book Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. This annual festival is designed to engage adults and young people in the joy of reading and writing through a series of public events; the events typically feature New York Times best-selling authors, independent publishers, independent authors, awards programs, and workshops. The Annual Author Expo is occurring February 18-19. The event offers the opportunity to engage with more than 100 authors, listen to panel discussions, and get books signed; admission is free to this event.

    Additionally, there will be a 20th Anniversary Gala hosted at the Ritz-Carlton. The featured authors at this evening event will be David Baldacci, Mary Alice Monroe, Jennifer Niven, and Jeannette Walls; there will also be a cocktail reception, an author panel discussion, and a book signing. Learn more about the Amelia Island Book Festival and the organization it benefits here. 

    Cirque Italia: Water Circus

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    Cirque Italia has reimagined it’s popular performance to include lighted water fountains, a pirate adventure, death-defying acts, and a chance for visitors to be part of the search for a buried treasure. Upcoming dates include Tallahassee shows February 17th-21st, Panama City Beach shows February 24th-27th, and Pensacola shows from March 3rd-6th.

    The Water Circus recommends that all guests wear a mask to events and is enforcing recommendations set by the CDC. Visit the official Cirque Italia website HERE for more information and to purchase tickets online. 

    PCB Conservation Park Birding

    Debbie Roney Smith on

    Interested in birding, photography, or learning about the natural world? Consider taking part in one of the upcoming Birding Walks at the Panama City Beach Conservation Park. The walk will be held twice this month on February 12th and again on February 19th from 7:30-9:30 am. The early morning walk will be led by a member of Bay County’s Audubon Society. Participants are not required to have their own binoculars but are encouraged to bring water. For more information, please contact the PCB Parks Department at (850)233-5045. 

    Strawberry Festival

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    The annual Strawberry Festival will be held this weekend in Williston, FL. There will be a plethora of fun, strawberry-themed family activities such as a u-pick strawberry field, chocolate covered strawberry station, and more! Other kid friendly activities include bouncy jump pillows, a treehouse village, slide hill, and train. Additional adult activities include the u-pick sunflower patch, indulge in sweet treats like strawberry cheesecake or strawberry shortcake, and relax while listening to live music. There is even a Strawberry Pie Eating Contest that guests can partake in.

    Please note that all guests are requested to follow CDC protocols for Covid-19 safety. Come on down to Red, White, and Blue Farm this February 12-13th between the hours of 10am and 4pm to enjoy this spectacular event. For more detailed information, please visit the official Strawberry Festival website here. 

    Send a Card to a Friend

    Debbie Roney Smith on

    Tomorrow is National Send a Card to a Friend Day! This is a wonderful opprotunity to give someone a happy suprise. Have you ever been excited to recieve something in the mail that wasn’t junk or bills? Recieveing a hand written card or letter is a wonderful feeling; it shows that someone thought of us and that they took time out of their busy schedule to communicate with longform intent. Additionally, there is a thrill to recieving a physical item of connection in a rapidly evolving digital world. So send out a card to someone you care about tomorrow, and keep an eye on your mailbox for a reply!

    Fun Fact! The history of card has been traced back to the ancient Chinese sending greeting cards on New Year’s Day and the early Egyptians sending greetings using papyrus scrolls. 

    Take Your Child to the Library

    Debbie Roney Smith on

    Tomorrow is Take Your Child to the Library Day! The initiative was started by Nadine Lipman in 2011 as a way to bring community awareness to the wonderful resource local libaries represent; it is also designed to help promote childhood literacy and library events. The event started with one single library and has since grown to include libraries all over the country! Additionally, Lipman was joined by co-chairperson Caitlin Augusta. The original website created by Lipman can be found here. Encouraging your kids to read helps boost language skills, critical thinking, reading comprehension, emotional intelligence, encourages creative thinking, and enhances concentration. 

    National Groundhog Day

    Debbie Roney Smith on

    Today is National Groundhog Day, a popular North American tradition derived from a Pensalvanyia-Dutch superstition about groundhog shadows. Over the years, the tradition has grown into a cultural monolith in the United States and Canada. Groundhog Day was concieved in the 1880s with the infamous Punxsutawney Phil, who’s modern successor goes by the same name. Phil’s predicitions are reported with mock seriousness but the cultural signficance and genuine childhood enjoyment of the occasion brings it back year after year. Looking to view Phil’s emergence from his burrow? Tune in online HERE on Wednesday, February 2nd at 7:15am to find out live or rewatch at a more reasonable hour.