Peanut Butter Drive

There will be a Peanut Butter drive this month in Blountstown and surrounding areas. Peanut Butter FIGHTS Hunger! With the support of the Florida Peanut Producers Association and Florida Peanut Federation, the UF|IFAS Calhoun County Extension Office is collecting unopened jars of peanut butter. All donations will go to local food pantries to help feed families in need. Drop-offs are accepted Monday through Friday from 8 AM – 4:00 PM. The drop-off is located at 20816 Central Ave. East, Blountstown, FL 32424. The support of the community is appreciated! 

Benefits of Backyard Bats

Sandhills Native Nursery is opening for Fall hours on September 22nd. To celebrate, they are hosting a Benefits of Backyard Bats class with Cre8ive by N8ure. The class will run from 9:30am – 10:30am on September 23rd and 24th. Led by Nate, creator of Cre8ive by N8ure and bat educator, the class will focus on how the bats provide insect management, their reproductive cycle, their habitat and diet, and flora and fauna that is beneficial for bats. Due to parking limitations, the class has only 10 spots and you must register to secure your parking spot; the cost is $10 per car. However, these spots are counted by the vehicle not individual, so the nursery encourages carpooling with friends or family. 

Additionally, there will be a second class opportunity on both days. If you are interested in building your own bat house to take home, hang out at the nursery for roughly 30 minutes after the Benefits of Backyard Bats. The delay is designed to give participants time to grab a drink, walk around the nursery, or have a quick lunch. Please note that the Build Your Own Bathouse class costs $45 per person. All required materials and instruction from bat house building expert Nate will be included in the cost. 

Proceeds from both classes will be donated to a local organization that assists bats (organization TBA). Visit SNN’s event website HERE to sign up for the class and/or Bat House creation event.

Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament

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The Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament is coming soon! From July 14-23, the 42nd annual tournament will be held at Jim King Park & Boat Ramp. The event benefits the community as proceeds are donated to the Jacksonville Marine Charities, Inc. The Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament is one of the largest kingfish tournament in the Southeast. The event includes the General Tournament, a Junior Angler Offshore Tournament, and a Redfish category. The event is presented by Summit Contracting Group and is sponsored by a plethora of great local businesses. The Tournament will host a Food Festival, live entertainment, a liar’s tent, exhibitions, and more!

Visit the official tournament website HERE to sign up, view the 2022 program, and more! 

BINGO in Calhoun County

The Calhoun County Senior Center is once again hosting BINGO nights! Every Thursday night from 5 – 8 PM, there will be BINGO, quarter games, and concessions. Participants must be at least 18 years old to play. The Senior Center will be hosting these events and is a nonsmoking venue. Proceeds from BINGO nights go towards the Calhoun County Senior Citizens. Come out for a night of fun, food, and fundraising!

Marianna Community Calendar 2023

The Pilot Club of Marianna is taking orders for the 2023 Community Calendar until June 15. The calendar will include anniversaries, memorial dates, and birthdays of community members listed. Proceeds from the calendar fundraiser will support Pilot Club projects such as a nursing scholarship at Chipola College, the Jackson County Backpack for Kids food program, JCARC, Meals on Wheels, the Autism Resource Center, and CACL School.

Calendars are priced at $3.50 each; listings cost 50 cents each. To place an order for a calendar, or have a birthday, anniversary, or memorial date listed on the calendar, contact Denise Raits at 850-482-6722 or Gail Hill at 850-557-0501. New members are always welcome!

Spring Fling at Tallahassee Nurseries

The Big Bend Hospice Spring Fling is occurring today from 5:30 pm – 8 pm. The event will be held in the magical gardens of Tallahassee Nurseries! The Spring Fling is a premier social event and fundraiser. The proceeds for this event will support Big Bend Hospice’s unfunded programs such as Music Therapy, Grief counseling (adults and children), Veterans’ programs, Spiritual Care, and other Direct Patient needs.

More information about the event and Big Bend Hospice is available on the official Spring Fling event page here

Benefitting the PCB Senior Center

The Panama City Beach Senior Center counts on donations to keep its lights on and to continue serving the community. Consider supporting this keystone of the community by visiting its upcoming craft fairs. Today, from 9am to 2pm, the PCBSC will be hosting the Winter Craft Fair. The fair will be held at the Lyndell Conference Center right next door to the PCBSC. The Craft Fair will have crafts, jewelry, local goods, lunch items, baked goods, and more!

The second fair will also be held at the Lyndell Conference Center. On March 5th, PSBSC will be hosting an Everything Sale. It will have everything available at the Craft Fair and more! For more information about either event, call the PCBSC at 850-233-5065 or email sue@pcbsc.com. 

Mardi Gras Barkus Parade

    Tomorrow is the 11th annual Mardi Gras Barkus Parade. This is a special Mardi Gras parade hosted by the Mystic Krewe of Salty Barkers, a Krewe of dogs and their humans.

    The Krewe is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and the parade proceeds will go towards the benefit of local animal charities. The theme of this year’s parade is Pirates of Oyster City; the event will include live music, local food and drink, and arts and crafts vendors. Festivities will start at 11am at Riverfront Park. The parade of costumed dogs, people, golf carts, boats, and floats will begin at 1pm. As always, the King and Queen of the Apalachicola Mardi Gras parade are shelter animals who are up for adoption; they have a place of honor in the parade. Learn more at the Mystic Krewe website here

    Oyster Cook-Off

    The annual Apalachiocola Oyster Cook-off is back! The cook-off and related activities benefit the Apalachicola Volunteer Fire Department and will be held in downtown Historic Apalachicola at Riverfront Park. The cook-off event features a silent auction, oysters galore, shrimp, smoked mullet, hot dogs, hamburgers, local beer, live music, kids’ activities, dancing performances, and a 5K run! Additionally, well-behaved dogs on a leash are welcome. Learn more at the Oyster Cook-off website or the Facebook event page. Tomorrow, Saturday the 15th, events begin at 8am with the 5K run while the cook-off runs from 12-5pm.

    Damayan Garden Project

    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.