Blue Springs is projected to be open for business Thursday June 20th at 9:30am. The hours for this summer will be Thursday – Sunday from 9:30am to 6pm, weather permitting. It closes for the season on September 2nd. The water is open from 10am – 5:30pm. Admission is $4.00 per person. Blue Springs will have concession stands open and have kayak rentals for those who would like to spread their wings in other parts of Mill Pond. It is located in Marianna in Jackson County at 5461 Blue Springs Road. visitjacksoncountyfla.com/
Turtle Talk is a recurring event held at the Research Reserve Nature Center located at 108 Island Drive Eastpoint, Florida 32328. This Thursday June 18th is the next one. It begins at 2pm. This air conditioned event is a wonderful chance to learn more about sea turtles. This is your chance to learn all about nesting sea turtles and find out how you can help them. Members of the St. George Island Turtle Patrol team will be on hand to answer questions and give an update about sea turtle nests on the island. You will also get the chance to touch a sea turtle carapace or look close-up at loggerhead sea turtle eggs. For more dates and information click on the link. 
Pineapple Willy’s is located at 9875 S. Thomas Sr. in Panama City Beach. It opened it’s doors in 1984. They are a seafood and barbeque restaurant that advertises they serve the best ribs on the beach and they have live music that gets better every year.
Marianna Cinemas is located at 4341 Lafayette St. Those who are originally from the area have probably noticed changes over the years. They have been upgrading and expanding. They have a food menu online in the about section of their FB page. They plan to have reclining seats and stadium seating in the coming years. Marianna Cinemas also offers birthday packages. You can call 850-526-4538 to get more details.
Plans are being finalized for an open house and fly-in at the Marianna Municipal Airport on June 8th. Gates open for the public at 8am on Saturday. This years open house/fly-in is an opportunity for the citizens of Marianna and Jackson County to learn more about general aviation, the military history of this airport, and the rich heritage that makes our community such a special place to live, work, and play. There will be military and civilian aircraft, exhibits, vendors with food, and free aircraft rides for children 8 to 17. Parents can copy and paste this link to register your children for a flight at http://www.eaa1358.org/youngeagles.html. Pilots will be flying in to the event from all over Florida and adjourning states, so there will be a large variety of aircraft on display. Admission is free to the public. Be sure to click on the link below for more information and any changes they may make closer to the event. 
Jackson County Public Library is one of a-three(3) County Library in the Panhandle Public Library Cooperative system(PPLCS) which serves the residents of Calhoun, Holmes, and Jackson counties. PPLCS serves over 109,890 residents with a combined collection of approximately 200,000 items in its multi-county libraries. It was established in October 1992. There are 10 branches with the Marianna Library being the main one in Jackson County and the Blountstown being the main one in Calhoun County. The Altha branch is temporarily closed.
Did you know that 80 percent of Franklin County’s 545 square miles are publicly owned, preserved wilderness areas? There are more than 40 designated State Paddling Trails across the state of Florida. These interconnected trials wind their way through the Sunshine State’s rivers, lakes and along the coastal shoreline. You can float on calm pristine rivers by canoe or do a long-distance sea kayak adventure along remote coastlines. No matter what “floats your boat,” the Forgotten Coast has something for every paddler! Great news, you don’t have to take your own kayak, paddleboard or canoe. There are plenty of paddling rental businesses across Franklin County! 
