Category: Pop Culture

Blountstown Rocks

Debbie Roney Smith on

In 1963, a group of talented young musicians from small towns across the Florida panhandle would visit Blountstown on Friday nights to play songs of the ’60s at the American Legion Hall. More than 50 years later, Saving Downtown Blountstown and Main Street Blountstown are teaming up to host the “Return of the Villagers.” Come down to the 20 West Saloon (formerly J Milley’s) tomorrow, August 13th, at 6:30 pm for Blountstown Rocks! The dance will provide a nostalgic shimmy down memory lane with the band starting promptly at 7 pm. Food will not be provided but the dance is conveniently located by a number of local restaurants. There will be an open bar available at Return of the Villagers. Please note that the dress code is casual. 

Wausau Funday & Possum Festival

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Click the image for a detailed itinerary.

The Wausau Funday and Possum Festival is coming to Wausau this Friday and Saturday, August 5-6th! The event will be held at 3116 Possum Palace Dr Wausau, Florida 32463. The Festival will feature a pageant, four different concerts, a parade, a 5k run/walk, pancake breakfast, and more. There will also be kid-friendly activities such as inflatables and pony rides. Call (850) 638 – 1781 with questions or visit the Wausau Possum Festival website here.

On This Day in History

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On July 29th in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Act (NASA) was established. The establishment of NASA was largely a response to the launch of Sputnik and the beginning of the ‘space race.’(1) In the 1960s, NASA had the budget, the political will, and the momentum provided by the Cold War to create a moon program that lead to Americans landing on the moon in the small span of eight years. Nowadays, there are a few motivations driving the interest in American space travel: national prestige, geopolitical power, economic opportunity, and scientific knowledge.

Unfortunately, the private sector of space travel (think Jeff Bezos and Elon musk) is receiving more funding than the public sector aka NASA. This is largely due to an increasing sense of ambivalence towards space travel amongst the majority of America; space travel is subjected to the whims of politics and there are more immediate concerns planetside for citizens to worry about. However, NASA does have a number of exciting research programs and missions in place. Additionally, there is a current moon effort named Artemis. NASA recently announced that they are aiming to send a crew to orbit the moon in May 2024, and land astronauts on the surface in 2025. American astronauts haven’t been on the moon since 1972, and Artemis is designed to allow them to plant another flag, build habitats, and apply new knowledge of the lunar surface to use for future missions to Mars. 

Firework Celebration in Marianna

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The City of Marianna and Main Street Marianna are hosting the 12th Annual Fireworks celebration this weekend! The event will be hosted at the MERE Complex on Caverns Road on Sunday, July 3rd.

There will be food vendors, live music, vendors, and kids’ activities. Nashville’s Bryan White and Andy Griggs will be performing this year from 7 – 8:45 pm. There will be local acts opening the show from 5-7 pm. The fireworks show will begin at 8:45 pm from behind the t-ball field on the right side of FCI Road. Parking will be available on both sides of the MERE. For more information, please visit the Annual Fireworks Celebration event page on Facebook here. 

1st Annual Altha Independence Day Festival Car Show

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The 1st Annual Altha Independence Day Festival Car Show is happening this Saturday, June 2nd from 1 – 4 pm! It will be hosted at 15727 NW Bodiford Road in Altha. If you would like to partake in the event with your own vehicle, the fee is $20 via Cashapp (CarsAndCoffeeKings), Venmo (CarsAndCoffeeKings), or Paypal (CarsAndCoffeeKings@gmail.com) for pre-registration. Registration on the day of the event is still $20 but must be paid in cash. The Top 25 vehicles will receive rewards. Day-of registration and check-in are from 1 – 2:30 pm, judging will occur 2:30 – 3:30 pm, and the awards will be announced around 4 pm.

Fernandina Beach Pride

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After a two-year hiatus due to Coronavirus, Fernandina Beach will be hosting its second annual Pride Parade and Festival. The event will be held on June 11th from 10 am – 6 pm. Fernandina Beach Pride will kick off with the parade before hosting a plethora of other fun activities. There will be live music, food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, and more! Come down to Central Park, Fernandina for a fantastic day celebrating the local and surrounding LGBTQ+ community!

Learn more by visiting the official event website HERE.

Local Artist Spotlight

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Morgan Summers is a local muralist based in Lynn Haven. Summers currently splits her time between client-directed work, creating content, and working on her passion project Small Town Walls. You may have seen her murals at local favorites such as the Bay Arts Alliance, The Lovely Project, UCF Downtown, Modern Orthodontics of Clermont, and more. In a recent article, she stated that she has “been pleasantly surprised that if I could just do a good job at what I do, people seem to enjoy it.”(1)

Learn more about Morgan Summers by visiting her official website here. 

Star Wars Night at Main Street Blountstown

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May the Fourth be with you! May 4th celebrates George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise. The date was chosen for the pun of the franchise catchphrase “May the Force be with you” as “May the Fourth be with you.” 

Main Street Blountstown is helping you celebrate this commemorative day this Friday, May 6th, with Star Wars Night. The Parjai Squad with the 501st Legion will be available for photo ops as well as meet and greets! From 5pm – 7:30pm, there will be a plethora of family-friendly Star Wars-themed activities at Magnolia Square Park. There will be a costume party, Jedi training, trivia games, vendors, food, music, and a scavenger hunt. 

 

Mardi Gras Parade

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    The largest men’s Krewe along the Florida Panhandle, the Krewe of Lafitte, is hosting their Illuminated Parade in Pensacola on February 25th! This all-male crew features 300 “gentleman” pirates, twelve floats, and is the only after-dark parade in the county. The parade will start at 7:30pm in Downtown Pensacola. Visit the official Krewe of Lafitte website to learn more about the parade float captains and other events held by the organization: https://www.kreweoflafitte.com/the-krewe/. 

    National Groundhog Day

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    Today is National Groundhog Day, a popular North American tradition derived from a Pensalvanyia-Dutch superstition about groundhog shadows. Over the years, the tradition has grown into a cultural monolith in the United States and Canada. Groundhog Day was concieved in the 1880s with the infamous Punxsutawney Phil, who’s modern successor goes by the same name. Phil’s predicitions are reported with mock seriousness but the cultural signficance and genuine childhood enjoyment of the occasion brings it back year after year. Looking to view Phil’s emergence from his burrow? Tune in online HERE on Wednesday, February 2nd at 7:15am to find out live or rewatch at a more reasonable hour.