Category: Family Friendly

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

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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

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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

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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

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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. 

Family History

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Are you interested in learning more about your ancestry? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ History/Genealogy Library is now open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00am – 2:00pm. Call 482-8159 during these hours to arrange an appointment to use their services. All services are completley free including Family Search and Ancestry.

Beach Ecology Walk

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Healthy Gulf is hosting a beach ecology walk on Tuesday, January 11th at 9 AM. The walk will be along the beach of Santa Rosa Island at Pensacola Beach. The hike will follow along both the Gulf and Sound side of the Island, exploring the changing plant communities and life along the shoreline. The host of the walk will teach attendees about terrestrial and aquatic life by examining what has washed ashore. The hike will cover a total of four miles and will take two hours to complete. The exact meeting location will be provided only upon registration for the event, although it is free. However, space is limited so to ensure a spot, email christian@healthygulf.org or call (850) 687-9968 to reserve your spot today!

Damayan Garden Project

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Damayan is a non-profit located in Tallahassee that works to provide schoolyards, community centers, and low-income housing communities with the necessary materials to establish raised-bed vegetable gardens. The Damayan Garden Project is a volunteer organization that relies heavily on donation-based support from the community. It is run by gardeners, educators, and volunteers who want to help enchance the quality of life in their community by fostering opprotunities for fresh produce, gardening experience, and a healthy relationship with food and community. If you would like to volunteer your time, the organization has numerous opprotunities including new garden installations, weekly garden assistant, social media coordinator, and more! Visit their website for more information.