Category: Pop Culture

Rocky Horror Murder Mystery Dinner Show in Pensacola

Debbie Roney Smith on

Seville Quarter in Pensacola, FL will be hosting its first-ever series of Murder Mystery Dinner Shows in Heritage Hall this October! Starting today, their last show, “Rocky Horror Murder Mystery,” will be running until Saturday. 

All shows run from 6 PM – 9:30 PM, and tickets cost $54. Tickets can be bought through Eventbrite and includes a choice of two entrees: (1) bacon-wrapped meatloaf or (2) curry’d chicken. Each entree comes with an opening course of a mixed green salad with toasted french bread, and a dessert of frozen chocolate mousse. 

Guests are encouraged to dress up and are reminded shows are 18yrs+ only. Visit their Facebook event page to view details and buy tickets! Click HERE!

PensaCon Halloween Fest

Debbie Roney Smith on

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

Debbie Roney Smith on

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!

 

20:20:20 in 2020: Internet Meme Debunked

Debbie Roney Smith on

If you spend any time on social media, it’s likely that you’ve seen the post below (or some variation of it) in the last few days:

This blog is sad to report that this is FAKE NEWS! The original post (click here to see Psychedelic Hillbilly’s original Facebook post) has received tens of thousands of shares on social media, and goes to show the very real danger presented by misinformation. In the United States, 20:20:20 represents 8:20 PM in military time. For most countries outside the U.S., the 24-hour clock is the standard way to tell time, so it’s likely that U.S. citizens unfamiliarity with the system explains the widespread unawareness that this chronological phenomenon will actually occur every night of 2020. Actually, since it’s a Leap Year, it will occur 366 times in 2020! 

Happy Birthday to a Famous Tallahassee Musician

Debbie Roney Smith on

T-Pain, born Faheem Rasheed Najm, was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida. His performance name is a nod to his hometown; the ‘T’ in T-Pain stands for Tallahassee! His interest in music was nurtured throughout his childhood by his friends and family; once, his father brought home a keyboard he had found on the street. As T-Pain got older and more experienced, a family friend would often take him to their recording studio to hang out. BY 10 years old he had converted his bedroom into a small workspace with only a keyboard, a beat machine, and a four-track recorder. However, he did not start seriously pursuing a music career until after high school; as a result, he took off in 2004. Now, T-Pain is a well-known American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer as well as the founder of the record label imprint Nappy Boy Entertainment. He’s even dabbled in other multimedia industries: he created an animated special called Freaknik: The Musical, acted in the movie Lottery Ticket, and won a reality TV music competition called The Masked Singer. 

Florida’s Role in Deaf Dog Awareness Week

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Did you know some breeds of dogs have deafness rates of 40 percent or more? Yet most people are unaware that certain breeds are predisposed to hearing impairment, and even less know how to recognize the signs in their pets. Deaf Dog Awareness Week has just come to a close today; it was a wonderful chance to celebrate those special dogs, learn more about adoption and training, and to simply hug our furry friends close.

Florida has a special part to play in this week-long holiday. Gisele Veilleux founded a small foster-driven non-profit dog rescue located in Central Florida in 2009 called The Dog Liberator. A no-kill shelter, it rescues approximately 200 dogs per year. The Dog Liberator focuses on rescuing herding dogs in danger, thus preventing highly adoptable dogs from being destroyed. Veilleux published Deaf Dogs Hear With Their Hearts in 2013. It is the true story of China, a deaf and partially blind dog who inspired great things. China, an Australian Shepherd, was rescued from a kill shelter when she was still a pup and had been abused by her former owner. The effect China had on Veilleux and her daughter helped inspire Veilleux to focus more heavily on supporting hearing-impaired dogs. Thank goodness for animal-loving Floridians! 

5 Things Happening on the 25th

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1. Heritage Day

Previously known in South Africa as Shaka Day, a day commemorating the Zulu King of Shaka who united clans to for the Zulu nation. Since 1955. South Africans have celebrated the renamed Heritage Day by remembering the cultural heritage of the many different cultures that make up their nation. Often called the ‘‘Rainbow Nation,’’ South Africa’s cultural roots are rich, vibrant, and incredibly diverse cultures. Want to celebrate and better understand this beautiful smorgasboard of cultures? Read up on South Africa’s history; research it’s cultural past, explore the intense political history, the racial injustices, the complex languages, and their culture in general. 

2. National Comic Book Day

National Comic Book Day honors the art, artists, and the stories of comic books. Fans, collectors, readers, writers, and artists come together to celebrate this generational, cultural crossing genre. Comic books has grown as a genre to include full-length books, graphic novels, comic strips, manga, comic collections, and digital comics. Additionally, comic books have inspired countless movie adaptations – the Marvel Cinematic Universe would not exist if comics didn’t. Celebrate by discovering new comic books, reading old favorites, sharing your passion with those in your life, watching television shows/movies based on comics, or look for online celebrations you can join. 

3. National Cooking Day

A day meant to encourage and inspire people to discover something new and enjoyable in the kitchen. Learn a new skill by preparing something new and delicious for yourself or loved ones. National Cooking Day is a day for passing on recipes, making fulfilling meals, experimenting with new recipes, baking with loved ones, throwing social-distancing-safe potlucks, hosting meals, or maybe just whipping up your favorite comfort foods to enjoy in your pjs on the couch. Connect with friends and family or practice some filling self-care this holiday!

4. National Daughters Day

A special day created to celebrate and cherish daughters. While there is a National Sons & Daughters Day, this event is a response to the growing awareness of the inherent struggles womens go through in society. From the very beginning, society viewed women as inferior to men, limiting their potential due to male privilege dominated at the time. This is an opprotunity to learn and discuss gender discrimination and inequity. Help your daughter grow into a well-rounded, emotionally fulfilled woman by celebrating them today. Explore this parental blog about teaching kids about gender equality and this education blog to learn more!

5. Sport Purple for Platelets Day

Supports those suffering from Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a disease that causes excessive bleeding, bruising and fatigue due to low levels of platelets (those are the cells that enable blood to clot). Unfortunately, ITP is widely unheard of and not much is known about the hows and whys of the disease. It was one of the first autoimmune disorders discovered, proving that a human body’s tissue could be attacked by its own antibodies. Despite this groundbreaking contribution, research into ITP never gained significant financial traction. The Platelet Disorder Support Association (PDSA) sponsors Sport Purple for Platelets Day in order to raise awareness and funds for those suffering and for research. So sport purple today to show your support for this life-shortening disease! 

 

International Dot Day isn’t for the Dot You Think

Debbie Roney Smith on

How do you feel about polka dots? Polka dots, as a pattern, gained traction in Europe in the mid-1900s after the Czech dance and Bohemian folk music genre were introduced in Paris and spread rapidly across North America. In fact, Europeans were so taken with the invention that they named the phenomena “Polkamania,” and proceeded to capitalize on the trend by throwing dots on clothes until they – literally – stuck. Supposedly, the dots represented the short bursts of energy that were required by the polka dance. Never seen a traditional Czech polka dance? Follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dONXZBrje2w

The polka dot exploded in the USA in 1926 when a Miss America was spotted (haha!) wearing the pattern on a swimsuit, likely the result of a nod to vintage Victorian dresses which often included some sort of dotted material. Then Walt Disney decided to capitalize on the growing trend by supplying fuel to the fire Miss America ignited.  Just two years later in 1928, Minnie Mouse debuted wearing her signature red polka dot dress. Since the 1930s bloom in polka dot goods, it has remained a consistent, popular pattern in fashion. The trend is so influential that it’s ever inspired songs: remember Frank Sinatra’s Polka Dots and Moonbeams” or Brian Hyland’s “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini?”

But today’s International Dot Day isn’t a day to celebrate polka dots…

…it’s a day of global celebration honoring creativity, courage, and collaboration!

International Dot Day started on September 15, 2009, when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot. It is the story of a student named Vashti and her caring teacher. Vashti felt like she couldn’t draw but her teacher encouraged her, saying “Just make a mark, and see where it takes you.” Vashti made a small dot on her paper, and it was only the beginning of her journey of self-discovery through art. It was a breakthrough of confidence and courage inspired by the encouragement of a kind adult. Terry Shay introduced a movement that would go on to inspire the countless children and adults that celebrate it: nearly 16 million people in 181 countries!

    How to Observe #InternationalDotDay:
    • Read The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
    • Donate art supplies to worthy organizations like schools, community centers, Boys & Girls Clubs, local transitional housing, et cetera
    • Foster creativity by participating in a fun form of self-expression including but not limited to: writing, drawing, painting, photography, videography, dancing, and singing
    • Share your/your kid’s creativity by sending the art to friends/family or post on social media
    • Encourage others to re-discover the power and potential of creativity in all they do 

     

    Check out http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/ for more info and free resources!