Category: Kind to Your Wallet

Defuniak Springs: Farmer’s Market

Debbie Roney Smith on

Today is the last chance to visit Defuniak Springs’ Farmer’s Market! Come down to Downtown DeFuniak for the Farmer’s Market held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Baldwin Avenue. The whole street will be closed down for the market, so stroll down the lovely street while browsing not only the local farm stands but also vendors with crafts, gift items, and prepared foods for snacking. With a high of 77 degrees, it’s the perfect Saturday to browse for fresh produce and holiday gifts!

Operation Spay Bay: Free Spays for Females

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A spay grant for female dogs has been approved for select counties this December. Operation Spay Bay is supported financially by the proceeds from the Florida Animal Friend License Plate. If you have a female dog weighing 50lbs (or more) AND you live in either Bay, Holmes, Washington, or Jackson County, you can have your pup spayed for a one-time fee of $12!

To schedule an appointment, call 850-215-1022 or visit the official website HERE. Be sure to mention the grant when making the appointment or you will not receive the heavily discounted fee. 

Sip & Clip: Satsumas, Kombucha, and More!

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Starting tomorrow, JoNina Farm in Georgia will be holding a series of special events called the Sip & Clip! Although a bit of a drive, the experience of harvesting (also called clipping) your own satsumas and sipping fresh-pressed juice and/or kombucha is one-of-a-kind. The farm is also offering a photo opportunity with their old farm tractors. Head up to the beautiful Ochlocknee area on the following dates with your family for a fun, affordable day-trip!

  • Dates (from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.) 
    • November 14th and 15th
    • November 21st and 22nd
    • December 5th and 6th
    • 12th and 13th 

Food Truck Fest 2020

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Want some affordable food and fun this weekend? Look no further than Downtown Pensacola! This Saturday, November 14th, visit the Community Maritime Park for the 2020 Food Truck Fest. The first-time annual event is scheduled on a forecasted warm, cloudy day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The festival is a family-friendly event featuring food trucks, vendors, live entertainment, a food truck tasting competition, AND a bounce house for kids. Entry is $2 per person with kids 12yrs old and under are free. So pack up your family, bring some chairs and reusable forks this Saturday!

And what’s better than a fun, food-filled community event? One that has a social conscience! A portion of the proceeds from the event goes to Feeding the Gulf Coast. 

For more information about the event, including vendor and volunteer opportunities, visit their official website HERE!

Festival on the Boulevard

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Put on by the local non-profit, Washington County Council on Aging, the Festival on the Boulevard will be held November 7th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.! 

A family-friendly, free event happening in Chipley, the festival will start at 7 a.m. with a 5K event (click HERE for more information about the 5K) and will include entertainment, food, and vendors. There are over 20 vendors signed up to offer such goodies as; jewelry, woodwork, wreaths, chalk creations, yard decor, aromatherapy products, vinyl designs, makeup, and more! Entertainment will be provided by local artists Trish Brannon and Braeden Cooper, and pony rides will be available for the kiddos. 

Cane Syrup Saturday!

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Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Maphis Nursery & Tree Farm in Chipley is hosting a FREE event this Saturday, November 7th.

Appropriate for all ages, this special, one-time event will show you and your family how cane syrup was made in the old days. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can chew some cane, drink the juice, help feed the mill, and more! Additionally, there will be cane syrup available for purchase after the tour AND you can explore the nursery and gift shop for more goodies! 

Visit their Facebook event page for more information: click HERE!

PensaCon Halloween Fest

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This coming Saturday, October 31 from 10 AM – 6 PM, Pensacon will be hosting their annual PensaCon Halloweenfest! Pensacon Halloweenfest will be a full day of spooky pop-culture fun in Museum Plaza. This year, the outdoor festival will be free and is located in downtown Pensacola. There will be vendors, live entertainment, celebrity guests such as Corin Nemec from “Stargate SG-1,” artists, panels, food trucks, trick-or-treating, costume contests, and other safe, family-friendly activities. Costumes are encouraged! 

Pensacon states that “Safety is of utmost concern, and in light of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, every precaution is being taken to ensure a safe event. Masks will be required at all times in Museum Plaza and associated venues and activities. Vendors will be spaced out across the plaza to encourage social distancing, and ample hand sanitizing stations will be made available. Attendees are encouraged to stay with their groups and maintain six feet of distance from those outside their bubbles.” 

See PensaCon’s Facebook event page for more information by clicking HERE! 

Halloween on Wintergreen

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Looking for something to do this Saturday? Visit The Farms at Two Egg to see a drive-in movie. The movie being played is Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016) and showtime starts at 8 PM. 

Prior to the showing, there will be a Spook Hour during which masks are mandatory during the various activities. There will be hayrides, a concession stand – and costumes are encouraged so you can visit the photo booth! Tickets are $10 per person and include a hayride, popcorn, soda, and candy.

Check out Two Egg’s promotional video by clicking HERE!

Visit their Facebook page for more information by clicking HERE!

 

National Make a Difference Day

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An unofficial secular holiday that’s held annually on the fourth Saturday of October, National Make A Difference Day was founded in 1992 – just shy of three decades worth of service, kindness, and human goodness! It is a day inspired by the now-defunct USA Weekend, although at the time it was the second-largest national newspaper. 1992 was a leap year, so USA Weekend suggested to its readers that they should take the extra day to make a difference by doing something good for their communities or for those in need. Alongside Points of Light, USA Weekend helped sponsor the largest national day of community service for more than twenty years! Now, the ‘national holiday’ is celebrated by those communities, organizations, and individuals who remember the positive changes it fostered while it was actively sponsored and promoted. 

So continue this beautiful, giving day by offering kindness, your time, your services, or donate to those in need near you. Looking for a volunteer event near you? Be sure to try Facebook and other social media sites, as well as look into your local news sources or organizations. Or try one of the sites below:

United Way Volunteer Opportunities Search

AARP’s Create the Good Volunteer Search

Volunteer Match established in 1998

Torreya in Bloom

Debbie Roney Smith on
Photo provided by local, @noahs.notions

Are you looking for something to do this weekend? Need to get out of the house or wear the kids down? Consider visiting the gorgeously-blooming Torreya State Park in Bristol! Only $3 per vehicle for park entry, there are multiple trails open now, the canoe/kayak launch spot is open, picnicking areas are open, AND the weather this weekend is supposed to be in the mid-80s with a pleasant blend of cloud coverage and wind.

Photo provided by local, @noahs.notions

Open from 8 AM to sunset, Torreya State Park is also home to the historic Gregory House. Tours are offered at 10 AM on weekdays and 10 AM, 2 PM, and 4 PM on weekends and state holidays. Masks mandatory while indoors. To get more information on the park before visiting, click HERE to visit their website!

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson