Baker County: Agriculture Management Practices

The UF/IFAS Extension and the Florida Department of Agriculture are hosting a free event focusing on Agriculture Management Practices. The event will occur on Wednesday, May 4th from 8am – 9:30am CDT. Presentations will focus on soil and tissue sampling, interpreting your results & application of findings, as well as technical assistance and cost-share opportunities. You must register for the event beforehand; breakfast will be provided.
Contact: Alicia Halbritter, UF/IFAS Extension Baker County Agriculture Agent at 904-259-3520 or aliciah1221@ufl.edu
Register online:bakerbmp.eventbrite.com

North Florida Wildflower Festival

The North Florida Wildflower Festival is this Saturday, April 30th! The festival will be held in downtown Blountstown; this includes Magnolia Square, the M&B Train Depot Museum & Park, and the Blountstown Greenway bike trail. The North Florida Wildflower Festival is an annual event run by the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce, Florida Wildflower Foundation, Florida Panhandle Wildflower Alliance, University of Florida IFAS, RiverWay South Choctawhatchee Apalachicola, and Blountstown Main Street. The festival will feature wildflower and gardening-themed products, plants, arts and crafts, and kids’ activities.

Click on the image to see an expanded list of confirmed vendors. Keep up to date with announcements at the official Facebook event page here

Lazy Acres Family Farm Tour Day

The Lazy Acres Family Farm is having a Farm Tour Day at the end of this month. On April 30th from 10 am until 4 pm, the farm will be open to the public for free! This is the Fifth Annual Spring Farm Tour and includes a number of vendors alongside tours. Experience how the family raises their cows, pigs, and chickens, and visit The Farm Store. Vendors include:

Crepe and Cream Food Truck
6R Farms, Inc.
Green Gate Olive Grove
Buffalo Ridge Forge
Ella Grace Allen

Learn more about the event at the Facebook event page here

Carrabelle Riverfront Festival

The 31st Annual Carrabelle Riverfront Festival in Carrabelle, FL is this weekend, April 23rd! Come out this Saturday from 10 am – 6 pm for a full day of family-friendly activities. Admission to the festival is FREE; it is a family and pet-friendly event, so bring out the whole family. The festival will have live music, entertainment, arts & crafts vendors, food vendors, and more. The event is held along the beautiful, historic waterfront and includes admission to some local museums. Additionally, the popular children’s events Captain Davy’s Adventure Show, mini-train rides, and bouncy house are back this year.

To learn more about the event (fashion shows and food vendors and parking, oh my!) visit the official Carrabelle event page here

Green Gate’s Marketplace Grand Opening

Green Gate’s Marketplace is hosting a two-day GRAND OPENING event Friday and Saturday, April 15-16th. Milk & Honey Soft Serve, located in the same parking lot, is having its 10-year anniversary. There will be a ribbon-cutting at 10 am on Friday. Additionally, the first 25 purchasing customers will get a FREE Martin’s Harvest cooler bag; it will include local business and farm information inside. There will be a number of local businesses present during the hours of 10 am – 5 pm: Lazy Acres Family Farm, Martin’s Harvest, Red Hills Online Market, S&P Briar Patch, Lucky Goat Coffee, and Chautauqua Vineyards. Green Gate’s Marketplace hopes to be a connection between local farmers/small businesses and customers. There is more to come so stay tuned via the Facebook event page here.

Operation Egg Drop: Bonifay, FL

Operation Egg Drop is this Saturday! Held at No Place Like Holmes Farm, this special Easter event starts at 1 pm and goes until 5 pm. There will be local businesses selling wares and providing services. The event will have live entertainment, food trucks, dessert trucks, inflatables, ax throwing, professional Easter Bunny photos, vendors, crafters, and full-size Mining Sluice. The Mobile Zoo crew will be available to help you make your own stuffed animals.

Additionally, there will be games such as giant Jenga, bigfoot blaster, giant checkers, cornhole, giant connect four, and more. Even better, there will be live animals, face painting, and thousands upon thousands of eggs dropped from helicopters! The cost of the ticket includes everything except sluice bags, bigfoot Blaster shots, food trucks, and Zoo Crew products. Tickets are $8 for ages 12 and up, $4 for ages 3-11, and free for under 3. Located at: 

No Place Like Holmes Farm
2387 Joe White Road,
Bonifay, Fl 32425

Capital Craft Fest and Hot Air Balloon!

The 2022 Capital Craft Fest is coming to the Tallahassee Automobile Museum on April 9th! This is a free event occurring from 10am – 4pm.  A family-friendly event, it will include 75+ local vendors, live music by DJ Felix Flo, and food trucks. Additionally, there will be an Easter egg hunt for the kids and a chance for them to visit with the Easter Bunny (egg hunt time tba). Please note that parking is also free but the event does not include entry to the Automobile Museum.

Additionally, there will be a tethered hot air balloon at the festival. Tickets are limited and going fast, so if you are interested in taking a hot air balloon ride be sure to contact L_Aevents@yahoo.com with haste. Tickets are $20 each; if the weather does not cooperate on the day of the ride, you will be issued a full refund.

National California Strawberry Day Florida Style

Today is National California Strawberry Day, an annual event that kicks off the strawberry season in California. Luckily, even Floridians can enjoy this national day of celebration by planting Florida-safe strawberry varieties. There are a number of specific varieties that do well in the more humid Florida environment: Calibrate, Camarosa, Florida Belle, Florida 90, Rosa Linda, Sequoia, Sweet Charlie, Strawberry Festival, and Tioga.

While the ideal time to plant strawberries via seed is early fall, it is possible to purchase and plant strawberry starter plants in spring. This is because strawberries require temperatures between 50°F–80°F, and less than 14 hours of daylight. In Florida, these conditions occur throughout the fall, winter, and spring. It is important to make sure the plant has excellent drainage and at least 8 hours of full sun. Strawberries are ready to harvest when three-quarters of the berry’s surface is red. The fruits not only entice local wildlife but also rot quickly, so be sure to harvest regularly once the plant begins producing. 

Learn more about successfully growing strawberries in Florida at the UF | IFAS Extension website here

UNwineD: Craft Beer, Wine, and Spirits

UNwineD is hosting a grand tasting on Saturday. The event will feature a global lineup of wines, spirits, and craft beer samples. Additionally, there will be food pairings available from local restaurants. Guests are encouraged to bring their own blankets and lawn chairs so they can relax comfortably in Aaron Bessant Park. There will be a Friday night Kickoff Party; it will be an evening garden party with custom cocktails and live music hosted by Southern Living magazine. There are ONLY 250 VIP tickets available for the Kick-Off Party, and it includes entrance to Saturday’s Grand Tasting. Visit the UNwineD website here for more detailed information or to purchase tickets. 

Florida Luxe Arts Festival

This weekend, March 18-19th, downtown Panama City will be hosting the Florida Luxe Arts Festival! The festival celebrates and displays local and national chalk artists from 10am – 5pm. Installations begin on Friday, so it is the perfect opportunity to watch talented artists create their work from the ground up. Installations will be finished and ready for viewing on Saturday if you are interested in viewing completed works. The festival will also include art vendors, food vendors, live music, a kids chalk zone, and buskers! Additionally, the Panama City Farmer’s Market will be hosted at the same time, so be sure to bring a reusable bag for fresh produce and other goods. Visit the official Luxe Arts Festival website here to learn more.