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From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Palafox Markets will be open to all. Held in the MLK Plaza in Downtown Pensacola, the markets are host to artists, crafters, makers, cottage bakers, and farmers. It is an open-air market, but please be sure to practice safety precautions like wearing masks. As a bonus, the parking is free on Sundays!
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This Halloween, on Saturday, October 31st, Blountstown Police Department will provide traffic control within the city limits from 5 – 8 PM. Additionally, there will be a trick or treating curfew of 8 PM for anyone within the city limits of Blountstown. The city asks that residents leave a porch light on if they want trick-or-treaters to stop at their homes.
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Dr. John Gorrie of Florida is the man behind, arguably, humanity’s most impressive invention for daily use: the air conditioner.
Gorrie was a physician, scientist, inventor, and humanitarian living in South Carolina. His study of tropical diseases led him to move to Florida when he noticed that people in the north weren’t getting yellow fever. He decided to see if the climate had something to do with it, moving down to Apalachicola, then a large cotton market on the Gulf Coast.
He became convinced that cold was a healer. He noted that “Nature would terminate the fevers by changing the seasons.” Dr. Gorrie began urging draining the swamps, clearing weeds, and maintaining clean food markets in the city. He also recommended sleeping under mosquito netting to prevent the disease. He had been cooling rooms with ice in a basin suspended from the ceiling which allowed cool air to flow down across the sick patient. However, it was a clunky system that was incredibly limited by the fact that ice had to be brought by boat from the northern lakes; ice came packed in sawdust from the northern lakes between the United States and Canada. Furthermore, ice was incredibly expensive at nearly $1.50 a pound – that’s $44.81 a pound in 2020 (source)!
Thus, Dr. Gorrie began to experiment with making artificial ice. He worked to design a machine that creates ice using a compressor powered by horse, water, wind-driven sails, or steam. This earliest effort to create a practical method of manufacturing ice would guide future inventors in developing the cold-air process of refrigeration necessary for everything from the AC in your house to the AC in your car, and many things in-between. Dr. Gorrie successfully demonstrates the ice-making machine in 1848. However, he wasn’t granted the U.S. patent until May 6, 1851. His design, the foundation of future air conditing designs as well as modern refrigerators, was filled under Patent No. 8080.
During his residence in Apalachicola, Gorrie served as mayor, postmaster, city treasurer, council member, bank director, and founder of Trinity Church. To honor his impact on the town and the world, the city created the Gorrie Ice Museum in order to explore the doctor, his creation, and his life; be sure to check their website to keep up-to-date with their hours and events (John Gorrie Museum and State Park website). Additionally, Gorrie represents Florida with his statue placed in the National Statuary Hall in Washington D. C., and you can also view the original model of his ice-making machine and the scientific articles he wrote at the Smithsonian Institution.
on Three Tallahassee sisters have stepped into the realm of entrepreneurship despite the daunting circumstances produced by a global pandemic and their young ages. Sisters Lyrica (age 13), Zaira (age 12), and Nadira Leo (age 9) own and operate their own vegan eatery named “Bourne Brilliant.” As of July 25, 2020, the trio is located in the rapidly expanding Railroad Square in one of the small, vibrant nooks that line the Breezeway Market.
Officially, the newly opened patisserie shop is leased by their mom, Syrheda La Shae, but the young girls are the power behind the cute shop and its’ products. The sisters’ have very supportive, proud parents: their father was the first to invest in their business ($50 many years ago when they were competing in competitions and selling goods at festivals) while their mother works with them as a family team. Syrheda explains that each of her daughters “bring something unique to the business. I like to encourage that uniqueness. They’re working together as one business entity but they have their individual skills” (source).
While they have gained a reputation based on their amazing baked goods, they offer a range of brilliant products including holistic items like teas and bath soaps, juices, their grandmother Ella’s preserves (pickled okra, squash relish and jams), and natural hair products. Additionally, they offer a rotating hot-n-ready menu with mouth-watering options like roti, Indian flatbread, Caribbean vegetable callaloo, and mac ‘n cheese. They are a vegan and plant-based source of food for the community. They also act as an environmentally, socially conscious LLC: they use paper packaging in place of plastic, are members of community organizations like the Big Bend Minority Business Chamber of Commerce, and regularly donate their goods and time to various people and organizations in need.
Lyrica, who has an auto-immune disorder, was the initial force behind the sister business; she started a bread ministry in 2013 to bake bread and other goodies that she and her family then distributed to their community. Bourne Brilliant LLC was the result of Lyrica pitching the business venture to their parents to support their frequent donations, supported by her younger sisters. They currently go to school online and have COVID precautions in store: staff and visitors wear masks and they only allow five people in the shop at a time.
Located on McDonnell Drive at Railroad Square at 618 McDonnell Drive B-3. They are open Thursday-Saturday. Their hours are 9AM to 5PM on Thursday and Friday; 11AM-6PM on Saturday. Consider visiting them this weekend to support these innovative, kind girls in their newest endeavor! For more information, please visit their website: https://www.bournebrilliant.com/
on Gloria Jean’s Sweets and Erma Jean’s Antiques and Gifts is located at 21539 NE Chester St. in Hosford. Hosford which is in Liberty County has two sisters who own an antique store/bakery/flower shop and it’s all under one roof…one old roof that is. The old wooden home, which used to belong to their grandparents, is estimated to be over 100 years old. Hours are: Wed-Fri 10am to 6pm and Sat. 9am-3pm Eastern Time. The phone number is: 850-379-3323.
on Looking for a great source of healthy, good for you, locally grown produce? Check out Martin’s Harvest Farm! Located in Marianna, this family farm is an up-and-coming gem of the community. They offer hydroponically grown, pesticide free produce. A neat service they offer is curbside pickup produce boxes offering year-round lettuce, arugula, micro greens, and more. Additionally, they participate in the weekly Marianna Farmers Market. To learn more about their varied and wallet-friendly services, check out their website at martinsharvest.com
on Orange Hill Gator Farm is located in Chipley. They have alligator tours which include a two-hour informational dialogue about these reptiles, and a children-safe, family-friendly tour of our breeding houses as well as the natural habitats of the American Alligator. Tours start at 9am daily and last approximately 2 hours as weather permits and by reservations only. CALL 850-527-1383 FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS. Visitors are encouraged to bring a camera and are also cautioned to wear closed-toe shoes (no sandals please) for safety.
on Congrats on the grand opening to The Purple Tire Shop which is owned and operated by Jaramin McKinnie. In addition to tires & tire repairs, Jaramin and his team repair brakes, alignment, engines, steering & suspensions. They also offer tuneups and oil changes. Call 850-526-2383 for hours of operations and times.
on Yesterday Jackson County celebrated it’s 198th birthday!
Jackson County was established in 1822 making it one of the oldest counties in the state. The County was named after Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States. Marianna, the county seat, was founded by Scottish native, Robert Beveridge, and is still the home to the courthouse and other local governing organizations for the County.
Though thought of as a predominantly rural agricultural community, Jackson County is also known for its rich historical heritage and one-of-a-kind historical landmarks. People from all over the world travel to Jackson County to enjoy scuba diving in the natural spring water, touring the only walk-through cave tour in Florida, sightseeing the local “haunted” attractions, or to try to catch a glimpse of local endangered plant life and animals only found in our County.
on Blue Springs Recreation Area came to its seasonal end last Sunday, August. 9th. Saturday, August 15th will be the next time it is open now that the brief weekends-only schedule starts. The Saturday and Sunday schedule continues until Labor Day, Monday, September 7th, with the park open that Monday to finish up the summer season of this year.
The park is expected to open on schedule next Memorial Day, with a lot of improvements to be completed during the traditional closed period of the year. While it’s closed this time around, crews will be temporarily drawing down the water six feet so that workers can complete the park’s new headwall. That work is expected to begin in October or November. Until it starts, the boat ramp at Hunter’s Fish Camp Road will stay open to the public although the swimming area will be closed. Once the headwall construction period begins, it will be closed as well until all the work is completed. The headwall will be made of landscape block and replaces the sandbag array that currently serves the purpose of establishing an end to the water in order to keep it from washing up and eroding the maintained area of the popular recreational area on Merritt’s Mill Pond. The headwall structure will also provide a safer entry-and-exit experience for swimmers. Additionally, the county is installing better steps for both side of the diving board platform, giving users more surface area on the approach, adding a wading area for the youngest children, and a redesign of some terraced area so that there will more flat space along the edge of the waterway.
The changes taking place this year will expand the recreational area’s fulfillment of American Disability Act standards, as well, with extra sidewalk rails installed nearer the water’s edge.
